Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Thunderbirds on piano
By Barry Gray
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 126 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Learn Thunderbirds in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – C7 – Gm – C7
Thunderbirds sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmviiC7III7GmviiC7III7- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
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.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 126 BPM
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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
Play next
Questions about Thunderbirds
What chords are in Thunderbirds?
The loop is Gm – C7 – Gm – C7 (vii – III7 – vii – III7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Thunderbirds in?
Ab major, at about 126 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Thunderbirds?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Thunderbirds 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.