Bohemian Rhapsody (Chords)

Bohemian Rhapsody

Words and Music by Freddie Mercury

Transcribed by Shane McDonald : (shanemcd @ shanemcdonald.org)

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This is probably one of the most difficult pieces to learn. Firstly, there are 3 different keys in the song, starting in Bb, changing to A in the middle of the Opera Section and then finishing in Eb. Then, from a timing perspective, the song is mainly in 4:4 time but there are 2 or 3 occasions where 1 bar is 2:4 time and it changes back to 4:4 time the bar after it. Finally, the playing of the piece on piano requires the cross over technique you may have seen in the video and some very quick and awkward chord changes ,e.g. in the No No No No bit of the Opera Section ; as well as having to remember all the chords ... Best of luck with it !

Notes :

Concert Intro : Freddie used the following intro during one of the concerts and its an effective intro !
Use these chords in arpeggios on the lower & upper registers (listen to the concerts and you should pick it up)
Each Chord is about 4 beats, medium tempo with the exclusion of the G Ab G Ab combo which is 1 beat each.

                                      -- Faster --
F     Eb/F     F     Eb/F      Ab      G Ab G Ab      C (slows) 

then start on the Bb Riff of 'Mama, just killed a man'

Album Intro : The start of this song has no chords, and is in the key of Bb.
Piano starts on the first Gm below.

Bb6         C7    Bb6   C7 
Is this real life, Is the just fantasy? 

 F7         Cm7 F7         Bb        Cm7 Bb 
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.

Gm
Open your eyes

     Bb7                 Eb   Ab  Eb
Look up to the skies and see

Cm     Cm7 Cm        F7
I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy

B    Bb    A    Bb  B      Bb    A      Bb
easy come, easy go, little high, little low
                                                             [Bass Guitar starts here]
Eb             Bb/D        C#dim            F7/C      F7/Eb      Bb *
Any way the wind blows, doesn't realy matter to me     to me.

Bb          Gm
Mama   just killed a man

      Cm                              Cm7               F7
put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he's dead

Bb             Gm              Cm               Cm/B   Eb/Bb  Abmaj7  Eb/G
Mama  life had just begun, but now I've gone and thrown it all away

Eb   Bb/D  Cm          Fm     C/E  Ab/Eb Ddim    Bb           Bb6        Bb7    Eb
Mama Ooooo____  didn't mean to make  you cry, if I'm not back again this time tomorrow, 

     Bb/D       Cm       Abm            Eb       Ab/Eb   Eb   Adim/Db   Bb7sus4b9   Bb
Carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters.

Bb           Gm
Too late, my time has come

     Cm                            Cm7            F7
Sent shivers down my spine, body's achin' all the time,

Bb                      Gm
Goodbye everybody, I've got to go,

      Cm             G+5/B    Eb/Bb     Adim    Abmaj7   Eb/G
Gotta leave you all behind and face the truth.

Eb   Bb/D  Cm      Fm      C/E Ab/Eb Ddim  Bb                   Bb6       Bb7      Eb
Mama Ooooo____     I don't want to   die,  I sometimes wish I'd never been born at all.

Guitar Solo : Each Bar 4 Beats, terminated by ;

  Eb   Bb/D  ;  Cm  ;  Fm   C/E   Ab/Eb   Ddim  ;  Bb   Bb   Bb6   Bb7  ;  

  Eb   Gm/D  ;  Cm  ;  Fm   C/E   Ab/Eb   Ddim  ; Db Db/C Db/B Db/Bb ; A ... (opera section)

Intro to Opera Section : A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A   staccatto

D/A  A      Adim    A     D/A   A     Adim
I    see  a little  silhouetto  of  a  man
A   D/A    A   D/A    A         Adim      A  D/A  A
Scarmouch  Scarmouch  will  you  do  the  fan-dan-go?
C#                 G#/C        C/E         E/G#         A
Thunder  bolt  of  lightning,  very  very  frightening  me

No Chords
Galileo  Galileo  Galileo figaro    Mangnifico_oh_oh_oh

B    Bb        A    Bb   B    Bb   A    Bb
I'm  just  a  poor  boy  nobody  loves  me

Ab/Eb Eb      Ebdim  Eb   Ab/Eb     Eb  Ebdim  Eb 
He's  just  a  poor  boy,  from  a  poor  fam-ily

Ab               Eb/G              F7       Bb      (3 Bb notes ... then Ab/Eb  Eb  Cdim  Bb7sus4b9 
spare  him  his  life  from  this  monstrosity

B      Bb   A     Bb  B          Bb      Bbdim
Easy  come  easy  go  will  you  let  me  go?

Bb5 Eb  Bb5   Eb   Bb  Bb  Bbaug  Bb7 Bbaug Bb
Bis-mil-lah   No,  we  will  not  let  you  go

Let  him  go

Bb5 Eb  Bb5  Bb  Bb  Bbaug  Bb7 Bbaug Bb
Bis-mil-lah  we  will  not  let  you  go      Let  him  go

Bb5 Eb  Bb5  Bb  Bb  Bbaug  Bb7 Bbaug Bb
Bis-mil-lah  we  will  not  let  you  go      Let  me   go

Bb   Bbaug Bb7 Bbaug Bb                 Bb   Bbaug Bb7 Bbaug Bb
Will  not  let  you  go   let  me  go   will  not  let  you  go

         F#7
Let  me  go oh  oh  oh  oh oh

Bm  A5  D   Db  Gb Bb5 Eb5  ---                     Eb   Ab Eb N.C.     Bb
no  no  no  no  no  no  no  Oh Mamma Mia Mamma Mia  Mamma Mia  let  me  go

Bb Eb  Ab           D7          Gm          Bb       Bb5      Bb  B7
 Beelzebub  has  a  devil  put  aside  for  me   for  me  for me            Hard Rock Section

Eb   Eb    Eb    F7  (each chord to the left of this is 1 bar)

Bb7       Eb(BbBass)    Bb           Eb         Bb          Db
  So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye.______

Bb7       Eb(BbBass)    Bb          Eb          Ab  Ab/G
  So you think you can love me and leave me to die.______

Fm        Bb       Fm                       Bb   
Oh,_____  baby,_____  can't do this to me,  baby.______

Fm7            Bb   Fm7            Bb          Eb           Bb7 
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here.______  

(slowly, a tempo)
Eb  Bb(Dbass)  Cm  G  Cm  G7  Cm  Bb7  Eb  D  Gm  Ab  Eb

Cm               Gm       Cm        Gm
Nothing really matters, anyone can see
Cm               AbM     Ab/Bb                     Eb      Ab/Eb   Eb
nothing raelly matters,  nothing really matters to me

Ebdim   Bb/D    Dbmaj13    C    Dbdim7    C     F    

Bb     F      Fdim  C7sus4     F
Any way the wind blows