Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child on piano
- F minor
- 4/4
- 66 BPM
- 2000
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – Db7 – Fm – G7
How it goes
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child sits in F minor: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Db7 is Db, F, Ab and Cb; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmiDb7VI7FmiG7II7- FmF · Ab · C
- Db7Db · F · Ab · Cb
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Rainbow sweep
How it goes
Five notes arc up two octaves like a rainbow, then let it ring. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 78 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 66 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: Db – Eb – Fm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbFm- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
What chords are in Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child?
The loop is Fm – Db7 – Fm – G7 (i – bVI7 – i – II7) in F minor, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Fm.
What key is Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child in?
F minor, at about 66 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child?
Rainbow sweep: wide arpeggio 1-5-8-10-15, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.