Open sky

Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. One of the left-hand arpeggio patterns.

Chords: Am, F, C, G
Practice in CHere Comes The Sun by The Beatles

How to play it

  1. Find the notes

    Put your left hand over a C chord. You need C (little finger, 5), G (index finger, 2) and E (thumb, 1).

  2. Count and play

    Count "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &" (say "and" for &). Play C on 1, then G on 1&, then E on 2 and hold it.

  3. Move it with the chords

    When the chord changes to G, the same rhythm moves to the notes of G: G, D and B. Play it slowly over the chord loop above, at 60% speed first, then faster.

Songs that use it

Questions

What is Open sky on piano?

Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. An arpeggio spanning a 10th: the classic ballad left hand. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10.

Is Open sky hard to play?

It is an intermediate pattern. Learn it with your left hand alone at 60% speed first, then play it over a chord loop.

Which songs use Open sky?

Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles, When Did I Fall In Love by Audra McDonald and I Will Sing by Don Moen use Open sky. The songs on this page all use it in the left hand, the most played first.