Piano chords · Old-time stride
How to play Row, Row, Row on piano
By Pearl Bailey
- Bb major
- 2/4
- 120 BPM
- 1994
- Medium
Learn Row, Row, Row in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Bb – Gm – C7
Row, Row, Row sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiiBbIGmviC7II7- CmC · Eb · G
- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Ragtime bounce
Quick bass-chord-bass-chord: the bouncy left hand of ragtime. Musicians call it boom-chick (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 137 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Marching chords
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about Row, Row, Row
What chords are in Row, Row, Row?
The loop is Cm – Bb – Gm – C7 (ii – I – vi – II7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Row, Row, Row in?
Bb major, at about 120 beats a minute in 2/4.
What does the left hand play in Row, Row, Row?
Ragtime bounce: boom-chick (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Row, Row, Row 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.