Nathaniel School of Music

Blackbird Piano Tutorial (The Beatles): Learn Every Section, Note for Note

To play Blackbird on piano, keep the G just below middle C ringing as a constant middle note in G major while chords change above and below it, using simple eighth notes when chords change quickly and a busier Travis-style sixteenth-note pattern when a chord lasts a full bar.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Beginner · 24 min

Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

Key points

What this lesson teaches

This lesson shows how to play and accompany yourself on The Beatles' Blackbird on piano, following the same notes, chords and hit points as Paul McCartney's fingerstyle guitar part. Jason Zac covers the intro, verse, interlude and bridge, then adds optional piano ornaments. The arrangement is simple enough that a newcomer to the piano can manage it, though the changing time signatures need attention.

The key and the ringing G

The song is in G major, which has one sharp, F#. The secret of the whole arrangement is the G just below middle C. It repeats almost constantly, sitting in the middle of everything. Notes to its left and to its right change with the chords, but the G stays put, just like the open string on the guitar.

The two rhythm patterns

  1. The simple pattern: steady eighth notes with single notes, keeping the G ringing as the chord notes around it change.
  2. The Travis-style pattern: a busier fingerpicking-inspired pattern counted 1 e and a 2 e and a, named after the guitarist associated with the technique.

The rule is easy: when a chord lasts a whole bar or at least four beats, use the busier Travis pattern. When chords change quickly, such as every beat, use the simple pattern because there is no time for the busy one.

Odd metres

Blackbird does not stay in one time signature. It moves between bars of 3, bars of 4, and now and then a bar of 2. Count carefully and follow the original recording closely.

Intro and verse line one

The intro uses the same music as the first verse line (Blackbird singing in the dead of night): G, Am7, G/B, and then a plain G held for a full bar of four. On guitar this part slides up the neck; the piano cannot slide, so you jump your hand to the upper register instead. If the jump is too hard at first, stay in one octave and toggle between the G's.

Verse line two: the climbing chords

On Take these broken wings, the harmony climbs:

Play the first bar with the simple pattern, then switch to the Travis pattern where the chords last longer.

All your life

The G in the centre continues. Here you get a D major chord with the G as an added fourth, then a sound implying C# half-diminished (minor 7 flat 5), and a C minor chord that sits outside the key but works beautifully. The guitar is really harmonising the vocal line, often a third below the melody, like a backing singer.

You were only waiting for this moment

Use a pattern somewhere between the simple and busy ones. A B in the left hand implies G/B, an A implies A7, a D implies D7sus4, and then you return home to G major.

Interlude and second verse

The interlude reuses familiar chords: C major, G/B, A7 and a suspended sound before G. The second verse is a carbon copy of the first.

The bridge

The bridge leans into G Mixolydian, where F natural replaces F#. The melody moves A, G, F, E, and the low G is still played on every beat with the relaxed rhythm. You stop on an A7 voiced guitar-style, with no more than three notes. On into the light, the chord is D, G, C, F, a quartal chord that can also be seen as a Dm7 with an added fourth.

Piano ornaments (optional)

How to practise

Listen to the original first. Learn the ringing G and both patterns on G alone, then each section slowly, then join them in order. Add ornaments only once the plain version feels secure.

Questions about this lesson

What key is Blackbird in on piano?

Blackbird is played in G major, which has one sharp, F#. The bridge borrows F natural, giving it a G Mixolydian flavour.

How do you copy the guitar fingerpicking of Blackbird on piano?

Keep the G just below middle C repeating as a constant middle note while chord tones change above and below it. Use straight eighth notes for fast chord changes and a busier Travis-style pattern counted 1 e and a 2 e and a for chords that last a whole bar.

What time signature is Blackbird in?

It does not stay in one metre. The song moves between bars of 3 and bars of 4, with an occasional bar of 2.

What if I can't jump my hand to the high register in the intro?

Stay in the same octave and toggle between the G's instead. It works, though jumping the hand is closer to the original guitar part.

Practise it

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