Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play The Stars Look Down on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn The Stars Look Down in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Ab – Eb
How it goes
The Stars Look Down sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Ab is Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbVAbIVEbI
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- AbAb · C · Eb
202 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Push and land
How it goes
A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Push and landRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 82 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
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

What chords are in The Stars Look Down?

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

What key is The Stars Look Down in?

Eb major, at about 82 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Stars Look Down?

Push and land: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Stars Look Down 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.