Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Sam Stone on piano

Written by John Prine

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Sam Stone in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – C7 – F – Bb
Sam Stone sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIVC7V7FIBbIV
- BbBb · D · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
22 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Gentle rocking
Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 696 songs of the library.
Gentle rockingBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Ticking clock
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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 – C7 – F
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbC7F

What chords are in Sam Stone?

The loop is Bb – C7 – F – Bb (IV – V7 – I – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C7 – F.

What key is Sam Stone in?

F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Sam Stone?

Gentle rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Sam Stone 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.