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Joel, Billy - Vienna

Chords & Piano Lesson
Billie Joel - Vienna
Hello! Below you'll find my "Vienna" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
 

This song by Billie Joel is a total classic. Aside from the instrumental intro section, the piano part is not super tricky, so feel free to skip it.

Enjoy!

Lesson Video
Chord Chart

Vienna Piano Tutorial

Here's a piano tutorial video for Vienna:

Vienna Chords & Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Gm                      Bb 
   Slow down you crazy child
            F                         Ab
You're so ambitious for a     juvenile
                 Eb
But then if you're so smart tell me
Bb                             C7    C/D   D
Why are you still so afraid
Gm                                         Bb
   Where's the fire, what's the hurry about
                F                                    Ab
You better    cool it off before you burn it out
             Eb            
You got so much to do
               Bb                           Am7  C/D  D
And only so many hours in a day
 
[Chorus]
Eb                                            F
   But you know that when the truth is told
                      Bb                 F/A 
That you can get what you want
                  Gm       Bb/F
Or you can just get old
                     Eb
You're gonna    kick off
                   Am7       D7       Gm7               C7
Before you even get halfway   through, Ooooo
                        Gb7   F7                Bb
When will you realize   Vienna waits for you
 
[Verse 2]
Gm Bb
Slow down you're doing fine

You can't be everything you want to be
      Ab
Before your time
                     Eb               
Although it's so romantic
          Bb                  C7           C/D  D
On the    borderline tonight, tonight
Gm                            Bb
   Too bad but it's the life you lead
                  F
You're so ahead of yourself
                    Ab
That you forgot what you need
                           Eb
Though you can see when you're wrong
                       Bb
You know you can't always see
                      Am7           C/D D
When you're right, you're ri  -  might
 
[Chorus]
Eb                                         F
   You got your passion, you got your pride
       Bb                           F/A          Gm        Bb/F
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied
Eb                               Am7                D7          Gm7      C7
   Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true, Ooooo
                        Gb7   F7                Bb
When will you realize   Vienna waits for you
 
[Instrumental]
Gm | Bb F | Ab |
Eb Bb Am7 | C/D |
 
[Chorus]
Eb                        F
   Slow down you crazy child
                      Bb                 F/A                   Gm Bb/F
And take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
Eb                               Am7                D7     Gm7     C7
   It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two, Ooooo
                        Gb7   F7                 Bb
When will you realize    Vienna waits for you
Eb                                            F
   But you know that when the truth is told
                      Bb                 F/A 
That you can get what you want
                  Gm       Bb/F
Or you can just get old
                     Eb
You're gonna     kick off
                   Am7       D7       Gm7               C7
Before you even get halfway   through, Ooooo
                       Gb7    F7              Bb             G7
Why don't you realize   Vienna waits for you
 
[Outro]
                       C7sus4* 
When will you realize
F7                (play intro part again, or end on Bb)
   Vienna waits for you
 
[Intro]
BbCDbD           DDbC      F     C          CDCBb 
              Gb  Gb          Gb  Gb   Gb  Gb           G 
              D     D            D    D      Eb   Eb           Eb 
          Bb                 Ab            A                   Bb 
 
   AbABb          BbCBbA    D    Bb
G            Eb  Eb            Eb      F
Eb           C    C              C       D
           Gb                    F       F Bb

| Bb | Bb |
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
Vienna Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "Vienna" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
 
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.  
 
3. Simplify if need be: "Vienna" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
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