Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Nancy With The Laughing Face on piano
By Phil Silvers
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 125 BPM
- 1942
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Nancy With The Laughing Face in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb7 – Db7 – Eb7 – Db7
How it goes
Nancy With The Laughing Face sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; Db7 is Db, F, Ab and Cb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Eb7I7Db7bVII7Eb7I7Db7bVII7- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- Db7Db · F · Ab · Cb
- 2
Left hand: Stride jumps
How it goes
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Firefly blink
How it goes
The top note and the one below blink back and forth like a firefly. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 125 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
Play next
Questions about Nancy With The Laughing Face
What chords are in Nancy With The Laughing Face?
The loop is Eb7 – Db7 – Eb7 – Db7 (I7 – bVII7 – I7 – bVII7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Nancy With The Laughing Face in?
Eb major, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Nancy With The Laughing Face?
Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Nancy With The Laughing Face 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.