Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play The Boys Are Back on piano
- C minor
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Boys Are Back in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Eb – Ab – F
How it goes
The Boys Are Back sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIEbIIIAbVIFIV- CC · E · G
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Dawdling footsteps
How it goes
Two steps, then a lazy late note after beat 3 that catches up on 4. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 222 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- BbBb · D · F
- CmC · Eb · G
Play next
Questions about The Boys Are Back
What chords are in The Boys Are Back?
The loop is C – Eb – Ab – F (I5 – bIII5 – bVI5 – IV5) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is The Boys Are Back in?
C minor, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Boys Are Back?
Dawdling footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3& · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Boys Are Back 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.