History Main / SkeletalMusician

* Brook of ''Manga/OnePiece'' is a nearly nine-foot-tall skeleton with an afro and a multi-instrumentalist (who favors the violin and guitar) who can use his music to create supernatural effects. It helps that he was part of an entire pirate crew that loved music in life and later had fifty years of free time to practice after his resurrection thanks to the Revive-Revive Fruit. He also makes [[IncrediblyLamePun incredibly lame puns]] about his skeletal state, he could say something took all the air out of his lungs, and then immediately reminds averyone he doesnt have any lungs to begin with. The guy also has a great singing voice even withouth his vocal chords.

* Brook of ''Manga/OnePiece'' is a nearly nine-foot-tall skeleton with an afro and a multi-instrumentalist (who favors the violin and guitar) who can use his music to create supernatural effects. It helps that he was part of an entire pirate crew that loved music in life and later had fifty years of free time to practice after his resurrection thanks to the Revive-Revive Fruit. he also makes [[IncrediblyLamePun incredibly lame puns]] about his skeletal state, he could say something took all the air out of his lungs, and then immediately reminds averyone he doesnt have any lungs to begin with, the guy also has a great singing voice even withouth his vocal chords.

** A 70s lounge/disco man on turntables

* Brook of ''Manga/OnePiece'' is a nearly nine-foot-tall skeleton with an afro and a multi-instrumentalist (who favors the violin and guitar) who can use his music to create supernatural effects. It helps that he was part of an entire pirate crew that loved music in life and later had fifty years of free time to practice after his resurrection thanks to the Revive-Revive Fruit.

* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/SoulMusic'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]], who takes the form of a tall skeleton dressed in a cowl, plays a rockin' guitar solo with a pick made from ''[[Awesome/SoulMusic the blade of his scythe]]''. Subverted because while Death plays the guitar, he does not play music as such ([[CreativeSterility he can't]]).

This is an old trope - dating back at least as far as the Dance of Death depictions of the late Middle Ages - and still in use in the 21st century. {{Skeletal Musician}}s are normally free-willed undead, and are more likely to be comedic than scary. Expect a joke about trombones at some point.

* Brook of ''Manga/OnePiece'' is a nearly nine-foot-tall skeleton with an afro, and a multi-instrumentalist (who favors the violin and guitar) who can use his music to create supernatural effects. It helps that he was part of an entire pirate crew that loved music in life and later had fifty years of free time to practice after his resurrection thanks to the Revive-Revive Fruit.

* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' has the Skeleton Crew beginning in Season 11, who play the show's theme song and bumper music and serve as Kinga Forrester's all-purpose minions.

* In the music video for "Touch of Grey," The Music/{{Grateful Dead}} appear now and again as skeletons playing their instruments.

* Lewis of ''WebAnimation/MysterySkullsAnimated'' is a suit wearing ghost skeleton with a purple pompadour who sings and plays the violin.

Not to be confused with underfed {{Starving Artist}}s, or with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlClwUtAm_A "Bones Trombone."]] Tends to overlap with XylophonesForWalkingBones, although that trope doesn't require the music to be played by - or on - a skeleton. Many examples also tend to be FriendlySkeletons.

Not to be confused with underfed {{Starving Artist}}s, or with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlClwUtAm_A "Bones Trombone."]] Tends to overlap with XylophonesForWalkingBones, although that trope doesn't require the music to be played by - or on - a skeleton.

* Brook of ''Manga/OnePiece'' is a nearly nine-foot-tall skeleton with an afro, and a multi-instrumentalist (who favors the violin and guitar) who can use his music to create supernatural effects.

[[quote:350:"Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho-Yo-Yo-Yo"]]

* ''VideoGameUndertale'' features Sans the skeleton, who plays the trombone

* ''VideoGame/Undertale'' features Sans the skeleton, who plays the trombone

* ''[[Series/{{Telefrancais}} Téléfrançais]]'' features a musical duet of skeletons called Les Squelettes as recurring characters.

* Musicians in skeleton units in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}''.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]
* Brook of ''Franchise/OnePiece'' is a nearly nine foot tall skeleton with an afro, and a multi-instrumentalist (who favors the violin and guitar) who can use his music to create supernatural effects.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

--> [[AC:Katie:]] How is a skeleton playing a woodwind?

[[folder: Film: Animated]]

** Bonejangle's pianist in ''Corpse Bride'' is a dead-ringer [[IncrediblyLamePun (cough)]] for Music/RayCharles. The choreography also has a couple of {{Shout Out}}s to ''WesternAnimation/TheSkeletonDance''.

[[folder: Film: Live Action]]

[[folder: Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/SoulMusic'', [[TheGrimReaper Death]], who takes the form of a tall skeleton dressed in a cowl, plays a rockin' guitar solo with a pick made from ''[[{{Awesome/SoulMusic}} the blade of his scythe]]''. Subverted because while Death plays the guitar, he does not play music as such ([[CreativeSterility he can't]]).

[[folder: Live Action TV]]
* ''{{Telefrancais}}'' features a musical duet of skeletons called Les Squelettes as recurring characters.

[[folder: Music]]

* Music/{{Oingo Boingo}}. The cover art for the album ''Dead Man's Party'' has a mariachi band providing music for the party of the title.

[[folder: Tabletop Games]]
* Miniature manufacturer Ral Partha had a set called "The Grateful Undead" consisting of three 25mm skeleton rock musicians modelled after Music/TheGratefulDead psychedelic rock band.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'' NPC [[http://d20npcs.wikia.com/wiki/%22Fiddlebone%22,_skeleton_musician Fiddlebone]] plays with this trope. The skeleton was intended by its creator to be a musician, but since most skeletons in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' are mindless, the creature was an unimpressive performer.

[[folder: Videogames]]

* The Saturn game ''[[VideoGame/MrBones Mr. Bones]]'' is about a skeleton who plays guitar to make an army of evil skeletons HeelFaceTurn.

[[folder: Webcomics]]
* Discussed in ''Webcomic/{{Unwinders Tall Comics}}''. Unwinder discovers that his favorite character from the ''After Dark'' book series is not a saxophone-playing skeleton as he previously thought, but instead a shapeshifter who takes the form of a skeleton. He's so disappointed with this twist that he quits reading the series.

[[folder: Western Animation]]

* The ColumbiaCartoons short ''Skeleton Frolic'' (a remake of ''WesternAnimation/TheSkeletonDance'') features rib-cage xylophones, among other skeletal shenanigans.

* This occurs three times in the WesternAnimation/{{Cartoon Network Groovies}} short "El Kabong Rides Again".

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' Marceline animates skeletons to serve as accompaniment for a performance.

* ''Film/CorpseBride'':