Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

How to play The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) on piano

By Irving Berlin

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Moon River rollRight hand Waltz chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: Eb – Bbm – Eb7 – Ab

    How it goes

    The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bbm is Bb, Db and F; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    EbIBbmvEb7I7AbIV
    • EbEb · G · Bb
    • BbmBb · Db · F
    • Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
    • AbAb · C · Eb
    18 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Moon River roll

    How it goes

    A wide, flowing roll in three, the Moon River feel. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 441 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Waltz chords

    How it goes

    A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 108 BPM

    How it goes

    Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.

  5. 5

    Ending: Ab – Bb – Eb

    How it goes

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    AbBbEb
    • BbBb · D · F

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Questions about The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)

What chords are in The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)?

The loop is Eb – Bbm – Eb7 – Ab (I – v – I7 – IV) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.

What key is The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) in?

Eb major, at about 108 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)?

Moon River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On) easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.