Cross Road Blues (Crossroads) Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Cross Road Blues (Crossroads) in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C7 – F7 – C7 – G7
How it goes
Cross Road Blues (Crossroads) sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C7I7F7IV7C7I7G7V7
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- G7G · B · D · F
40 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Running-late chords
How it goes
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Running-late chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Cross Road Blues (Crossroads)?

The loop is C7 – F7 – C7 – G7 (I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Cross Road Blues (Crossroads) in?

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

What does the left hand play in Cross Road Blues (Crossroads)?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Cross Road Blues (Crossroads) 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.