Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) on piano
By Danny Elfman
- E minor
- 4/4
- 104 BPM
- 1993
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – B7 – Em – D7
How it goes
Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; B7 is B, D#, F# and A; Em is E, G and B; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FbIIB7V7EmiD7VII7- FF · A · C
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Mozart murmur
How it goes
Low, high, middle, high, over and over: the Mozart murmur. Musicians call it alberti bass 1-5-3-5 (alberti bass), a medium pattern heard in 186 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Marching chords
How it goes
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 104 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: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)
What chords are in Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)?
The loop is F – B7 – Em – D7 (bII – V7 – i – bVII7) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) in?
E minor, at about 104 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas)?
Mozart murmur: alberti bass 1-5-3-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Sally's Song (from The Nightmare Before Christmas) 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.