Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play My Private Nation on piano
Written by Pat Monahan & Brendan O’Brien
- E major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2003
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn My Private Nation in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#sus4 – F#m – C#sus4 – Adim
How it goes
My Private Nation sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#sus4 is C#, F# and G#; F#m is F#, A and C#; Adim is A, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#sus4VIsus4F#miiC#sus4VIsus4Adimiv°- C#sus4C# · F# · G#
- F#mF# · A · C#
- AdimA · C · Eb
- 2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
How it goes
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
How it goes
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- EE · G# · B
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Questions about My Private Nation
What chords are in My Private Nation?
The loop is C#sus4 – F#m – C#sus4 – Adim (VIsus – ii – VIsus – ivo) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is My Private Nation in?
E major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in My Private Nation?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is My Private Nation easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.