Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Waltz garden

How to play Whispering Tuna on piano

By Garrison Keillor

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Waltz climbRight hand Waltz push chordsChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Whispering Tuna in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: G7 – C – F – C

    Whispering Tuna sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    G7V7CIFIVCI
    • G7G · B · D · F
    • CC · E · G
    • FF · A · C
    106 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Waltz climb

    Three notes up the chord, one per beat: a gentle waltz climb. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (3/4) (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 248 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: Waltz push chords

    Chord, a push before beat 3, then the landing: a waltz with a nudge. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 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. 5

    Ending: F – G – C

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    FGC
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about Whispering Tuna

What chords are in Whispering Tuna?

The loop is G7 – C – F – C (V7 – I – IV – I) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Whispering Tuna in?

C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Whispering Tuna?

Waltz climb: broken chord 1-3-5 (3/4), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Whispering Tuna easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.