Once again, Henry Mancini has worked his musical magic to bring us this charming instrumental from the TV mini-series The Thorn Birds. His music has enriched TV shows like Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, Remington Steele and the Bob Newhart Show, as well as a long list of award-winning films.
The 1983 mini-series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name. It focuses on three generations of an Australian family from 1920-1962. A forbidden romance between a beautiful young woman and a Catholic priest is the heart of the plot.
The song, The thorn Birds Theme, was written by Henry Mancini in 1983. I have the music in the Key of C, then it modulates to F. The time signature is 6/8, Flowing.
The chord chart is as follows:
C
C7
F
Gm/F
F
C/F
F
Gm/F
F
C/F
F
Bb
C/Bb
F/A
Dm
Gm
Gm/C
F
Bb
C/Bb
F/A
Dm
Gm
Gm/C
F
Gm/F
F
C/F
F
Gm/F
F
Bb/F
Bb/C
F
How To Play The Thorn Birds Theme
The first 4 measures is the intro with C5 in the bass; CG with a little C grace note before the chord. In fact there's an A grace note before the chord, BbG in the right hand when you play Gm/F. You'll also find some triplets sprinkled throughout the piece for your right hand. Examples: D-E-D or G-A-G and A-Bb-A.
In the left hand, you have a mixture of blocked chords (played at the same time) and arpeggiated, broken chords. For a great finger exercise and it's what you play for many measures, practice these single notes with your left hand:
F, C, F, C (7 xs), then play F, C, F.
F, C, F, C (6 xs), then F to CC. Last measure, F, A, C, F, A, C, F.
Chord Breakdown
C7 = CBb/CEG
F = F/CA, then C/AF (2 xs)
Gm/F = F/BbG
F = F/ACF
C/F = F/GE, F/AF, C/BbG
F= FCF/AF
Gm/F = F/BbG
F= F/ACF
C/F = F/GE
F/AF
Bb = BbF/DFD
C/Bb = BbG/CEG
F/A = AF/CFA
Dm = DA/FAD
Gm = GBb/DGD
Gm/C = CBb/DG
F = FAC/CA
Bb = BbF/DFD
C/Bb = BbG/EGE
F/A = AF/AG
Dm = DFA/A
Gm = GD/BbDG
Gm/C = C/BbDG
F = FCF/F
Gm/F = F/BbG
F = F/CA
C/F = F/GE
F = FCF/AF
Gm/F = F/DBb
F = F/CA
Bb/F = F/FD
Bb/C = CC/CA
F = FAC/ AF
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