Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Black My Story on piano
Written by Ziggy Marley & Stephen Marley
- D major
- 2/2
- 84 BPM
- 1989
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Black My Story in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – D – Em – A
How it goes
Black My Story sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVDIEmiiAV- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-clap chords
How it goes
Quick double claps on beats 2 and 4, leaving beats 1 and 3 empty. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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: Em – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EmAD
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Questions about Black My Story
What chords are in Black My Story?
The loop is A – D – Em – A (V – I – ii – V) in D major, and the song ends on Em – A – D.
What key is Black My Story in?
D major, at about 84 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Black My Story?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Black My Story 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.