Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Roller Coaster on piano
Written by Cole Swindell & Michael Carter
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 110 BPM
- I–V–vi–IV loop
- 2013
- Medium
Learn Roller Coaster in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb – Fm – Db
Roller Coaster sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbVFmviDbIV- AbAb · C · Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FmF · Ab · C
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Offbeat skank
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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
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Questions about Roller Coaster
What chords are in Roller Coaster?
The loop is Ab – Eb – Fm – Db (I – V – vi – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Roller Coaster in?
Ab major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Roller Coaster?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Roller Coaster 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.