How to play Nobody Knows on piano

Learn Nobody Knows in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: C – Fm – C – Fm
Nobody Knows sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFmivCIFmiv
- CC · E · G
- FmF · Ab · C
21 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
Tick-tick-boom pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch bellsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 68 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 – Fm – C
The last chords are I – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFmC

What chords are in Nobody Knows?

The loop is C – Fm – C – Fm (I – iv – I – iv) in C major, and the song ends on C – Fm – C.

What key is Nobody Knows in?

C major, at about 68 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Nobody Knows?

Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Nobody Knows 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.