Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

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

By Louis Armstrong

Tuning the piano…
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Left hand Waltzing tideRight hand Waltz bellsChords 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: Bb7 – Eb – 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: Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; 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.

    Bb7V7EbIEb7I7AbIV
    • Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
    • EbEb · G · Bb
    • Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
    • AbAb · C · Eb
    78 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Waltzing tide

    How it goes

    Five notes roll up wide and high, then hold, in a slow three. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 68 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Waltz bells

    How it goes

    A single high note, then two chords: ding, dong, dong in three. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 135 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: F7 – Bb7 – Eb

    How it goes

    The last chords are II7 – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    F7Bb7Eb
    • F7F · A · C · Eb

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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 Bb7 – Eb – Eb7 – Ab (V7 – I – I7 – IV) in Eb major, and the song ends on F7 – Bb7 – Eb.

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

Eb major, at about 135 beats a minute in 3/4.

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

Waltzing tide: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-12 (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.