Steel Rail Blues Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Steel Rail Blues in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – G7 – C – C7
How it goes
Steel Rail Blues sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G7 is G, B, D and F; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIG7V7CIC7I7
- CC · E · G
- G7G · B · D · F
- C7C · E · G · Bb
37 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Boom-chick
How it goes
Bass, chord, bass, chord: the bounce of ragtime and country. Musicians call it boom-chick (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 762 songs of the library.
Boom-chickStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Knock-and-peek
How it goes
The same note knocks five times, then peeks one step higher. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Knock-and-peekTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 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

What chords are in Steel Rail Blues?

The loop is C – G7 – C – C7 (I – V7 – I – I7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Steel Rail Blues in?

C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Steel Rail Blues?

Boom-chick: boom-chick, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Steel Rail Blues 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.