Red Eye Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Red Eye in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: E – F#m – A – E
Red Eye sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; F#m is F#, A and C#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIF#miiAIVEI
- EE · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
37 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Cradle pulse
A deep note, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 160 songs of the library.
Cradle pulseRoot bass rhythm · LullabyLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Tug-of-war chords
Four even chords stretched across a rocking bar: a gentle push and pull. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Tug-of-war chordsSyncopated chords · LullabyRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 BPM
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#m – A – E
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mAE

What chords are in Red Eye?

The loop is E – F#m – A – E (I – ii – IV – I) in E major, and the song ends on F#m – A – E.

What key is Red Eye in?

E major, at about 160 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Red Eye?

Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Red Eye 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.