Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Rose Of The Rio Grande on piano
Artist unknown
- F major
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Rose Of The Rio Grande in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Dm – Gm – Dm – Am
How it goes
Rose Of The Rio Grande sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dm is D, F and A; Gm is G, Bb and D; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DmviGmiiDmviAmiii- DmD · F · A
- GmG · Bb · D
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
How it goes
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
How it goes
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: F – Bb – F
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FBbF- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Rose Of The Rio Grande
What chords are in Rose Of The Rio Grande?
The loop is Dm – Gm – Dm – Am (vi – ii – vi – iii) in F major, and the song ends on F – Bb – F.
What key is Rose Of The Rio Grande in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Rose Of The Rio Grande?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Rose Of The Rio Grande 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.