Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play The Way on piano
Written by Tony Scalzo
- F# minor
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1998
- Medium
Learn The Way in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – F#m – C#7 – F#m
The Way sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; F#m is F#, A and C#; C#7 is C#, E#, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmivF#miC#7V7F#mi- BmB · D · F#
- F#mF# · A · C#
- C#7C# · E# · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Bossa seesaw
Low-low, high-high in a laid-back Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root–fifth 1-1-5-5 (root–fifth bass), an easy pattern heard in 428 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: D – E – F#m
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
Play next
Questions about The Way
What chords are in The Way?
The loop is Bm – F#m – C#7 – F#m (iv – i – V7 – i) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is The Way in?
F# minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Way?
Bossa seesaw: root–fifth 1-1-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Way 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.