Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Trouble Is A Man on piano
By Alec Wilder
- F minor
- 4/4
- 60 BPM
- 1944
- Medium
Learn Trouble Is A Man in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D7 – Gm – Dbdim – C7
Trouble Is A Man sits in F minor: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D7 is D, F#, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; Dbdim is Db, Fb and Abb; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
D7VI7GmiiDbdimvi°C7V7- D7D · F# · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- DbdimDb · Fb · Abb
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 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: Wait-a-beat chords
Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 60 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 – Bbm – F
The last chords are IV – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbBbmF- BbBb · D · F
- BbmBb · Db · F
- FF · A · C
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Questions about Trouble Is A Man
What chords are in Trouble Is A Man?
The loop is D7 – Gm – Dbdim – C7 (VI7 – ii – bvio – V7) in F minor, and the song ends on Bb – Bbm – F.
What key is Trouble Is A Man in?
F minor, at about 60 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Trouble Is A Man?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Trouble Is A Man 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.