Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Nellie The Elephant on piano
By Ralph Butler
- C minor
- 6/8
- 160 BPM
- V7–I–IV–I loop
- 1956
- Medium
Learn Nellie The Elephant in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G7 – C – F – C
Nellie The Elephant sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
G7V7CIFIVCI- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
Long-short, long-short: soft chords sway like a hammock. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 BPM
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: C – G7 – C
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CG7C
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Questions about Nellie The Elephant
What chords are in Nellie The Elephant?
The loop is G7 – C – F – C (V7 – I – IV – I) in C minor, and the song ends on C – G7 – C.
What key is Nellie The Elephant in?
C minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Nellie The Elephant?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Nellie The Elephant 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.