Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Bone Machine on piano
Written by Frank Black
- D minor
- 4/4
- 117 BPM
- 1988
- Medium
Learn Bone Machine in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Dm – A – G
Bone Machine sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Dm is D, F and A; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIVDmiAVGIV- GG · B · D
- DmD · F · A
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 117 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 – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Bone Machine
What chords are in Bone Machine?
The loop is G – Dm – A – G (IV – i – V5 – IV) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Bone Machine in?
D minor, at about 117 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Bone Machine?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Bone Machine 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.