Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Sailing on piano

By Christopher Cross

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Sailing in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: E – A – A – E – A – A
How it goes
Sailing sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: E is E, G# and B; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EVAIAIEVAIAI
- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
80 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: Falling leaves
How it goes
Three notes falling again and again, gently drifting down like leaves. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Falling leavesFalling arpeggio · ClassicalRight handMedium
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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA
- DD · F# · A

What chords are in Sailing?

The loop is E – A – A – E – A – A (V – I – V – I – V – I) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Sailing in?

A major, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Sailing?

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 Sailing easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Sailing?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.