Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Turn Out The Stars on piano
By Bill Evans
- C major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1966
- Medium
Learn Turn Out The Stars in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – E7 – Am – Dm
Turn Out The Stars sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; E7 is E, G#, B and D; Am is A, C and E; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmviiE7III7AmviDmii- BmB · D · F#
- E7E · G# · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 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 100 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Turn Out The Stars
What chords are in Turn Out The Stars?
The loop is Bm – E7 – Am – Dm (vii – III7 – vi – ii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Turn Out The Stars in?
C major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Turn Out The Stars?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Turn Out The Stars 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.