Viva La Vida Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Viva La Vida in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Fm – Fm – Db – Eb – Eb7
Viva La Vida sits in F minor: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIIIFmiFmiDbVIEbVIIEb7VII7
- AbAb · C · Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
12 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Busy rocking
A low root, then quick notes rocking between two higher keys. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5 (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 200 songs of the library.
Busy rockingBroken chord · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hurrying chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 138 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 – Dm – F
The last chords are I – vi – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FDmF
- FF · A · C
- DmD · F · A

What chords are in Viva La Vida?

The loop is Ab – Fm – Fm – Db – Eb – Eb7 (III – i – VI – VII – VII7 – III) in F minor, and the song ends on F – Dm – F.

What key is Viva La Vida in?

F minor, at about 138 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Viva La Vida?

Busy rocking: broken chord 1-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Viva La Vida 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 Viva La Vida?

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