Machine Gun Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Machine Gun in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: F – Am – F – Am
Machine Gun sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIAmiiiFIAmiii
- FF · A · C
- AmA · C · E
21 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Cradle pulse
A deep note, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 160 songs of the library.
Cradle pulseRoot bass rhythm · LullabyLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Rowing-boat chords
Six even chords per bar, rolling along like oars on water. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Rowing-boat chordsSyncopated chords · LullabyRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 90 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 – F
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Machine Gun?

The loop is F – Am – F – Am (I – iii – I – iii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Machine Gun in?

F major, at about 90 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Machine Gun?

Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Machine Gun 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.