When The Stars Go Blue Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn When The Stars Go Blue in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Eb – Bb – F – Cm
How it goes
When The Stars Go Blue sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIVBbIFVCmii
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- CmC · Eb · G
19 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Velvet jazz
How it goes
Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Velvet jazzLeft-hand chords · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pumping chordsPumping 8ths · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 BPM
How it goes
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 – Cm – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCmBb

What chords are in When The Stars Go Blue?

The loop is Eb – Bb – F – Cm (IV – I – V – ii) in Bb major, and the song ends on Bb – Cm – Bb.

What key is When The Stars Go Blue in?

Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in When The Stars Go Blue?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is When The Stars Go Blue 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.