Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Water on piano
By Pentatonix
- D minor
- 6/8
- 56 BPM
- Medium
Learn Water in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – C – Dm – Dm – C – Dm
Water sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Dm is D, F and A; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmiCVIIDmiDmiCVIIDmi- DmD · F · A
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Rowing-boat pulse
Six even low notes per bar, rolling along like oars on water. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 240 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rowing-boat chords
Six even chords per bar, rolling along like oars on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 56 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Water
What chords are in Water?
The loop is Dm – C – Dm – Dm – C – Dm (i – VII – i – VII – i – VII) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Water in?
D minor, at about 56 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Water?
Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Water 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 Water?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.