Rocky Mountain High Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Rocky Mountain High 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 – B
How it goes
Rocky Mountain High 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; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIF#miiAIVBV
- EE · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
32 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
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.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
How it goes
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Deep-breath chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 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 – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE

What chords are in Rocky Mountain High?

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

What key is Rocky Mountain High in?

E major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Rocky Mountain High?

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 Rocky Mountain High 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.