Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Sabotage on piano
By Beastie Boys
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- 1994
- Medium
Learn Sabotage in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Abm – Ab7 – C – Abm
Sabotage sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Abm is Ab, Cb and Eb; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbmiAb7I7CIIIAbmi- AbmAb · Cb · Eb
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Sabotage
What chords are in Sabotage?
The loop is Abm – Ab7 – C – Abm (i – I7 – III – i) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Sabotage in?
Ab major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Sabotage?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Sabotage 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.