Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Way Down Yonder In New Orleans on piano
- F major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1999
- Medium
Learn Way Down Yonder In New Orleans in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – D7 – Gsus4 – C
Way Down Yonder In New Orleans sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; D7 is D, F#, A and C; Gsus4 is G, C and D; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FID7VI7Gsus4IIsus4CV- FF · A · C
- D7D · F# · A · C
- Gsus4G · C · D
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Bobbing boat
High, higher, then a dive to the bottom and back: a bobbing boat. Musicians call it open arpeggio 8-12-1-8 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 141 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Push chords
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. 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
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Questions about Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
What chords are in Way Down Yonder In New Orleans?
The loop is F – D7 – Gsus4 – C (I – VI7 – IIsus – V) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is Way Down Yonder In New Orleans in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Way Down Yonder In New Orleans?
Bobbing boat: open arpeggio 8-12-1-8, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Way Down Yonder In New Orleans 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.