Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Ride on piano
- F major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- Medium
Learn Ride in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – F – Gm – C – C – Dm
Ride sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIFIGmiiCVCVDmvi- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Rocking thirds
Two neighbouring chord notes rocking back and forth, soft and sweet. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: Dm – C – F
The last chords are vi – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmCF
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Questions about Ride
What chords are in Ride?
The loop is F – F – Gm – C – C – Dm (I – ii – V – vi – I – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Dm – C – F.
What key is Ride in?
F major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Ride?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Ride easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Ride?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.