Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Crossroads on piano
By Jim Brickman
- A major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Learn Crossroads in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – F#m – D – A
Crossroads sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIF#mviDIVAI- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Groovy roots
Notes jump around the “ands”, giving the bass a funky bounce. Musicians call it root bass · syncopated 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 363 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: F#m – D – A
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mDA
Play next
Questions about Crossroads
What chords are in Crossroads?
The loop is A – F#m – D – A (I5 – vi – IV – I5) in A major, and the song ends on F#m – D – A.
What key is Crossroads in?
A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Crossroads?
Groovy roots: root bass · syncopated 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Crossroads?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.