Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover on piano

By Walter Kent

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Fm – Bb7 – Eb – Cm – Fm – Bb7
How it goes
(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmiiBb7V7EbICmviFmiiBb7V7
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- CmC · Eb · G
2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Hopscotch chords
How it goes
Chord, chord, skip beat 3, chord: hopping over a square. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch chordsBlock chords · StrideRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 80 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: Eb – Abm – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbmEb
- AbmAb · Cb · Eb

What chords are in (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover?

The loop is Fm – Bb7 – Eb – Cm – Fm – Bb7 (ii – V7 – I – vi – ii – V7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Abm – Eb.

What key is (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover in?

Eb major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.