Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play River on piano
By Josh Groban
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 75 BPM
- 2018
- Medium
Learn River in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Fm – Ab – Db – Dbsus4
River sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Dbsus4 is Db, Gb and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmviAbIDbIVDbsus4IVsus4- FmF · Ab · C
- AbAb · C · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- Dbsus4Db · Gb · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Jogging footsteps
A calm start, then quick jogging notes through the middle of the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 159 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 75 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about River
What chords are in River?
The loop is Fm – Ab – Db – Dbsus4 (vi – I – IV – IVsus) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is River in?
Ab major, at about 75 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in River?
Jogging footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is River 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.