Piano chords · Blues & boogie
Down By The River: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Milky Chance
- A major
- 4/4
- 114 BPM
- vi–I–V–ii loop
- Medium
Down By The River written out as piano music: the vi – I – V – ii loop in A major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays seesaw bass (root–fifth 1-5-1-5) and the right hand rising light.
Down By The River chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in A major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F#m | vi | F# A C# |
| 2 | A | I | A C# E |
| 3 | E | V | E G# B |
| 4 | Bm | ii | B D F# |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: seesaw bass (root–fifth 1-5-1-5) in the left hand and rising light in the right, over the F#m – A – E – Bm chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
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Questions about Down By The River
Does the sheet music for Down By The River have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
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.