Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Down By The River on piano
By Milky Chance
- A major
- 4/4
- 114 BPM
- vi–I–V–ii loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Down By The River in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m – A – E – Bm
How it goes
Down By The River sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; A is A, C# and E; E is E, G# and B; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#mviAIEVBmii- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
- EE · G# · B
- BmB · D · F#
- 2
Left hand: Seesaw bass
How it goes
Low, higher, low, higher on every beat: a steady seesaw. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-5-1-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 481 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rising light
How it goes
Three notes climb again and again, starting just after the beat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 114 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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- DD · F# · A
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Questions about Down By The River
What chords are in Down By The River?
The loop is F#m – A – E – Bm (vi – I – V – ii) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Down By The River in?
A major, at about 114 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Down By The River?
Seesaw bass: root–fifth 1-5-1-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Down By The River 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.