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Redbone: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

Written by Donald Glover, Ludwig Goransson & others

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Left hand Run-up footstepsThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Redbone without reading music. The left hand plays run-up footsteps (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4&), and the right hand sings the tune.

Redbone accompaniment in letter notes

The Bb – C – Dm – C loop with run-up footsteps in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
Bb
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 2
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 3
Dm
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 4
C
RC4+E4+G4 E4 F4 G4 A4 Bb4 C5 D5 E5
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 5
Bb
RBb3+D4+F4
LBb2 Bb2 Bb2 Bb2 Bb2
Bar 6
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 7
Dm
RD4+F4+A4
LD2 D2 D2 D2 D2
Bar 8
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Redbone

What are the letter notes for the Redbone piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is Bb – C – Dm – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Redbone?

The loop is Bb – C – Dm – C (bVI – bVII – i – bVII) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.

What key is Redbone in?

D minor, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Redbone?

Run-up footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 4&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Redbone easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.