Starman Chords

Learn how to play Starman!

The opening chord use an open string to achieve its colorful sound, an open E string in relation to a Bb is a b5 or #4.

Since we still are playing the note F (the 5th) on string two, we couldn’t call this chord a Bbb5, instead we’d call it a Bbadd#11.

The top E is far enough away to be labeled #11 instead of #4, and there is no maj7 or dom7 so it’s not a “normal” maj7#11, it’s an add#11.

Since the chord is a Bb in the key of F, this is not as exotic as we might first think, a #4, and a natural 5th are both a part of the Lydian mode.

This is not the only chord trick you’ll find in Starman, can you spot the IV to IVm move at 1:25?

Starman Chord Details

Starting on Chord II (Gm) makes the verse feel as if it wants to go somewhere, similarly to the feel of a IV chord.

If we look at the notes inside chord II and IV, this is not as strange as it may first appear.

A Gm chord is built out of G, Bb and D. And a Bb use Bb, D and F.

Should the Gm have a b7 inside it (Gm7) you would fit the F in as well and the II and IV chord are almost identical.

This means that the feeling of being “far away from chord I” appears over chord II in a similar way to how chord IV makes you feel.

Comparing the notes of a Fmaj7 and Gm7 and we see how all notes from the F major scale are used

F Ionian: F – G – A – Bb – C – D – E
Fmaj7: F – A – C – E
Gm7: G – Bb – D – F

It is only the note F that appears in both chord I and chord II, this is why the two chords feel so different to each other.