Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Vincent on piano
By Don McLean
- G major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1971
- Medium
Learn Vincent in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – C – D7 – G
Vincent sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; C is C, E and G; D7 is D, F#, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiiCIVD7V7GI- AmA · C · E
- CC · E · G
- D7D · F# · A · C
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: Am – D7 – G
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmD7G
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Questions about Vincent
What chords are in Vincent?
The loop is Am – C – D7 – G (ii – IV – V7 – I) in G major, and the song ends on Am – D7 – G.
What key is Vincent in?
G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Vincent?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Vincent 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.