Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play I Play the Road on piano
Written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette & others
- G major
- 2/2
- 150 BPM
- V–I–IV–I loop
- 2010
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I Play the Road in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – C – G
How it goes
I Play the Road sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DVGICIVGI- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Bounce-back seesaw
How it goes
Low, low, a hop up on beat 3, and straight back down. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-1-5-1 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 173 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Falling leaves
How it goes
Three notes falling again and again, gently drifting down like leaves. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: C – Cm – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CCmG- CmC · Eb · G
Play next
Questions about I Play the Road
What chords are in I Play the Road?
The loop is D – G – C – G (V – I – IV – I) in G major, and the song ends on C – Cm – G.
What key is I Play the Road in?
G major, at about 150 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in I Play the Road?
Bounce-back seesaw: root–fifth 1-1-5-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I Play the Road 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.