Tobacco Road Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Tobacco Road in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Cm – Bb – Cm – Bb
How it goes
Tobacco Road sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiBbVIICmiBbVII
- CmC · Eb · G
- BbBb · D · F
50 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Walking roots
How it goes
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Walking rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Trotting-sleigh chords
How it goes
Three quick chords on every beat: a rolling, joyful gallop. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Trotting-sleigh chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handTricky
4
Both hands at 100 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm
- AbAb · C · Eb

What chords are in Tobacco Road?

The loop is Cm – Bb – Cm – Bb (i – bVII – i – bVII) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.

What key is Tobacco Road in?

C minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Tobacco Road?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Tobacco Road 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.