How to Play “Fly Me to the Moon” on Piano

Learn how to play the popular standard, “Fly Me to the Moon” on piano with our easy to follow lesson. This song is perfect for beginners!

Introduction

“Fly Me to the Moon”, originally titled “In Other Words”, is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. Kaye Ballard made the first recording of the song the same year. Frank Sinatra’s 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the Moon.

The song is sung from the point of view of someone who is asking for a loved one’s hand in marriage, and is urging them to accept despite their current circumstances. The lyrics have been said to be representative of young love, innocence, and hope.

There have been many different interpretations of “Fly Me to the Moon” over the years, including versions by popular artists such as Tony Bennett, Diana Krall, Sergio Mendes, and Michael Bublé. The song has also been featured in movies such as Wall-E and The Simpsons Movie.

learning the melody

“Fly Me to the Moon”, originally titled “In Other Words”, is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. Kaye Ballard made the first recording of the song in 1954. Frank Sinatra’s 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the Moon.

There are many ways to learn how to play “Fly Me to the Moon” on piano. One way is to purchase a book or online tutorial that will provide step-by-step instructions. Another way is to find a YouTube video that shows someone playing the song and pause it at different intervals to attempt to mimic what you are seeing and hearing. You could also go to a local music store and ask for help from one of their employees.

learning the chords

“Fly Me to the Moon”, originally titled “In Other Words”, is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. Kaye Ballard made the first recording of the song in 1954. It later became a standard played frequently in jazz clubs worldwide. Frank Sinatra’s 1964 version was closely associated with the moon landing mission and is often played at weddings and other romantic occasions.

To play “Fly Me to the Moon” on piano, you’ll need to learn three chords: Cm, Eb, and G7. The melody of the song is based on these chords, so once you have them down, you’ll be able to play the entire song.

You can find instructions for how to play each of these chords here:
-Cm: https://www.wikihow.com/Play-a-Cm-Chord-on-Piano
-Eb: https://www.wikihow.com/Play-an-Eb-Chord-on-Piano
-G7: https://www.wikihow.com/Play-a-G7-Chord-on-Piano
Once you’ve learned these chords, you can put them together to play the melody of “Fly Me to the Moon”. The melody is simple and can be broken down into four measures, or bars. Each measure contains two beats, and each chord is played for one measure. Here’s how it sounds:
/ Cm / Eb / G7 / Cm /
/ Eb / Fm / Ab / G7 /
/ Cm / Eb / G7 / Cm /
/ Eb / F#dim7 / Ab / G7

putting it all together

Now that you know all the chords, it’s time to put them together and play the song!

Here’s how “Fly Me to the Moon” goes:

C C7 F
F A Dm G7 C C7 F
F A Dm G7 C C7 F
F A Dm G7 C Am F G7 C
C Am Em A7 Dm G7 C