Elliott Smith – I Didnt Understand Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Elliott Smith – I Didnt Understand Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated

ChordsAmDmBbCC#dimF7/EbDm7/CA#sus2b5FGmC7

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These are the chords for I Didnt Understand by Elliott Smith on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

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[Intro]
Am  Dm     Bb  C  C#dim  Dm  F7/Eb
Dm  Dm7/C  Bb

[Verse 1]
Am         Dm       Bb       C
   Thought you'd be looking for
       C#dim   Dm      F7/Eb
   the next in line to love
       Dm         Dm7/C            Bb
Then ignore, put ou---t, and put away
    Am       Dm      Bb       C
And so you'd soon be leaving me,
 C#dim     Dm     F7/Eb
alone like I'm supposed to be
  Dm               Dm7/C     Bb
Tonight, tomorrow, and everyday

[Refrain 1]
A#sus2b5
   There's nothing here
                F
   that you'll miss
      Gm            F
I can guarantee you this
     Gm         Dm
Is a cloud of smoke
C7                    F
   Trying to occupy space
Gm             F
What a fucking joke
Gm             Am
What a fucking joke
Dm  Bb  C  C#dim  Dm  F7/Eb
Dm  Dm7/C  Bb

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[Verse 2]
  Am     Dm    Bb
I waited for a bus to
 C  C#dim    Dm      F7/Eb
separate the both of us
             Dm       Dm7/C     Bb
And take me off, far away from you
         Am       Dm    Bb
Cause my feelings never change
   C     C#dim  Dm        F7/Eb
a bit, I always feel like shit
             Dm
I don't know why,
             Dm7/C   Bb
I guess that I just do

[Refrain 2]
A#sus2b5                        F
   You once talked to me about love
        Gm               F
And you painted pictures of
  Gm           Dm
A Never Never Land
C7                              F
   And I could've gone to that place
      Gm          F
But I didn't understand
  Bb          F
I didn't understand
  Gm          [Outro Riff]
I didn't understand

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

How to play I Didnt Understand: key, chords and progression

I Didnt Understand by Elliott Smith is centred on F major (one flat: B♭). The song uses 11 chords: Am, Dm, Bb, C, C#dim, F7/Eb, Dm7/C, A#sus2b5, F, Gm and C7.

The progression the song keeps returning to is Am – Dm – Bb – C (iii – vi – IV – V in F major). In solfa, that is mi – lah – fah – soh. Learn these 4 changes first and most of the song falls into place.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 3rd fret and play the shapes F#m, Bm, G, A, Bbdim, D7, Bm7, Gsus4, D, Em (64% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 45% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

Am chord on guitar (x02210)
AmA C E
Dm chord on guitar (xx0231)
DmD F A
Bb chord on guitar (x13331)
B♭B♭ D F
C chord on guitar (x32010)
CC E G
C#dim chord on guitar (x42020)
C♯dimC♯ E G
F7 chord on guitar (131211)
F7F A C E♭
Dm7 chord on guitar (xx0211)
Dm7D F A C
A#sus4 chord on guitar (x13341)
A♯sus4A♯ D♯ E♯
F chord on guitar (133211)
FF A C
Gm chord on guitar (355333)
GmG B♭ D
C7 chord on guitar (x32310)
C7C E G B♭

I Didnt Understand chords: questions

What key is I Didnt Understand in?

I Didnt Understand by Elliott Smith is centred on F major (one flat: B♭).

What chords are in I Didnt Understand?

I Didnt Understand uses 11 chords: Am, Dm, Bb, C, C#dim, F7/Eb, Dm7/C, A#sus2b5, F, Gm, C7.

What is the chord progression of I Didnt Understand?

The main progression is Am – Dm – Bb – C (iii – vi – IV – V).

Is I Didnt Understand easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 3rd fret and play the shapes F#m, Bm, G, A, Bbdim, D7, Bm7, Gsus4, D, Em (64% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 45% without a capo).

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