Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play The Man Who Sold The World on piano
By Nirvana
- F major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Learn The Man Who Sold The World in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Dm – A – Dm
The Man Who Sold The World sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Dm is D, F and A; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIDmviAIIIDmvi- FF · A · C
- DmD · F · A
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Bb – C – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about The Man Who Sold The World
What chords are in The Man Who Sold The World?
The loop is F – Dm – A – Dm (I – vi – III – vi) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is The Man Who Sold The World in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Man Who Sold The World?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Man Who Sold The World 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.