Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play White Skin Black Heart on piano
Written by James Moginie, Robert Hirst & others
- F major
- 4/4
- 121 BPM
- 1997
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn White Skin Black Heart in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: B – Bb – F – G
How it goes
White Skin Black Heart sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B is B, D# and F#; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
B#IVBbIVFIGII- BB · D# · F#
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rising chords
How it goes
Up the chord and back in quick notes, gently lifting the song. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 121 BPM
How it goes
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
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- CC · E · G
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Questions about White Skin Black Heart
What chords are in White Skin Black Heart?
The loop is B – Bb – F – G (#IV5 – IV5 – I – II) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is White Skin Black Heart in?
F major, at about 121 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in White Skin Black Heart?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is White Skin Black Heart 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.