Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play Express on piano
Artist unknown
- A minor
- 4/4
- 112 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Express in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – F – C – G
How it goes
Express sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiFVICIIIGVII- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Bossa sway
How it goes
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Candle flicker
How it goes
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 112 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 – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm
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Questions about Express
What chords are in Express?
The loop is Am – F – C – G (i – VI – III – VII) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Express in?
A minor, at about 112 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Express?
Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Express 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.