Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Don’t Bring Me Down on piano
Written by Jeff Lynne
- A major
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- vi–I–vi–I loop
- 1979
- Medium
Learn Don’t Bring Me Down in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m – A – F#m – A
Don’t Bring Me Down sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#mviAIF#mviAI- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: G – D – A
The last chords are bVII – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GDA- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Don’t Bring Me Down
What chords are in Don’t Bring Me Down?
The loop is F#m – A – F#m – A (vi – I – vi – I) in A major, and the song ends on G – D – A.
What key is Don’t Bring Me Down in?
A major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Bring Me Down?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Bring Me Down 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.