Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Wishful Thinking on piano
By Earl Klugh
- A major
- 2/2
- 155 BPM
- I–vi–ii–V7 loop
- 1984
- Medium
Learn Wishful Thinking in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – F#m – Bm – E7
Wishful Thinking sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; Bm is B, D and F#; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIF#mviBmiiE7V7- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- BmB · D · F#
- E7E · G# · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 155 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: Bm – E7 – A
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BmE7A
Play next
Questions about Wishful Thinking
What chords are in Wishful Thinking?
The loop is A – F#m – Bm – E7 (I – vi – ii – V7) in A major, and the song ends on Bm – E7 – A.
What key is Wishful Thinking in?
A major, at about 155 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Wishful Thinking?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Wishful Thinking 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.