Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play She’s A Carioca on piano
Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim
- C major
- 4/4
- 129 BPM
- 1965
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn She’s A Carioca in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Fm – Em – Ebm
How it goes
She’s A Carioca sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Fm is F, Ab and C; Em is E, G and B; Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIIFmivEmiiiEbmbiii- DD · F# · A
- FmF · Ab · C
- EmE · G · B
- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
How it goes
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 129 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 – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
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Questions about She’s A Carioca
What chords are in She’s A Carioca?
The loop is D – Fm – Em – Ebm (II – iv – iii – biii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is She’s A Carioca in?
C major, at about 129 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in She’s A Carioca?
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 She’s A Carioca easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.