Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore) on piano
By Herbert Kretzmer
- D minor
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore) in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – C7 – F – Bb
How it goes
Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore) sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmivC7VII7FIIIBbVI- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Skip-and-stroll chords
How it goes
A skippy push at the start, then calm chords on 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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 – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
Play next
Questions about Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore)
What chords are in Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore)?
The loop is Gm – C7 – F – Bb (iv – bVII7 – bIII – bVI) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore) in?
D minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore)?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Yesterday, When I Was Young (Hier Encore) 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.