Piano chords · Film & wonder
How to play Red Clay on piano
- C# minor
- 4/4
- 145 BPM
- 1972
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Red Clay in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#m – Bm – E7 – A
How it goes
Red Clay sits in C# minor: C# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m is C#, E and G#; Bm is B, D and F#; E7 is E, G#, B and D; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#miBmviiE7III7AVI- C#mC# · E · G#
- BmB · D · F#
- E7E · G# · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Rocket sweep
How it goes
Climbs two octaves in two big leaps, soaring like a rocket. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 1-5-8-8-12-15 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 140 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Peekaboo chords
How it goes
A chord on 2, then two surprises popping up between the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 145 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: A – B – C#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABC#m- BB · D# · F#
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Questions about Red Clay
What chords are in Red Clay?
The loop is C#m – Bm – E7 – A (i – bvii – bIII7 – bVI) in C# minor, and the song ends on A – B – C#m.
What key is Red Clay in?
C# minor, at about 145 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Red Clay?
Rocket sweep: wide arpeggio 1-5-8-8-12-15, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Red Clay easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky 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.