In terms of chords and melody, Sawdust Man is more complex than the typical song, having above average scores in Chord Complexity, Melodic Complexity, Chord-Melody Tension and Chord Progression Novelty.
Sawdust Man is written in the key of G Major. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 3rd most popular key among Major keys and the 3rd most popular among all keys. Major keys, along with minor keys, are a common choice for popular songs. The three most important chords, built off the 1st, 4th and 5th scale degrees are all major chords (G Major, C Major, and D Major). See the G Major Cheat Sheet for popular chords, chord progressions, downloadable midi files and more!