Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Vienna on piano
By The Fray
- Eb major
- 3/4
- 103 BPM
- Medium
Learn Vienna in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Bb – Cm – Eb
Vienna 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; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIBbVCmviEbI- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Lullaby seesaw
A low note, then gentle higher notes between the beats of a waltz. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-5-5 (3/4) (root–fifth bass), a medium pattern heard in 48 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz chords
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 103 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Vienna
What chords are in Vienna?
The loop is Eb – Bb – Cm – Eb (I – V5 – vi – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Vienna in?
Eb major, at about 103 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Vienna?
Lullaby seesaw: root–fifth 1-5-5-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Vienna 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.