Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Yesterdays on piano
By Jerome Kern
- D minor
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1933
- Easy
Learn Yesterdays in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb7 – Dm – Eb7 – Dm
Yesterdays sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Eb7bII7DmiEb7bII7Dmi- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Island zigzag
A jump up, then down past the start, in the three-three-two rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 8-12-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 302 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Yesterdays
What chords are in Yesterdays?
The loop is Eb7 – Dm – Eb7 – Dm (bII7 – i – bII7 – i) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Yesterdays in?
D minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Yesterdays?
Island zigzag: broken chord 8-12-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Yesterdays 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.