Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play Hurt So Bad on piano
By Little Anthony & The Imperials
- C minor
- 2/2
- 100 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Hurt So Bad in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Gm – Ab – Gm
How it goes
Hurt So Bad sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbVIGmvAbVIGmv- AbAb · C · Eb
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Boogie walker
How it goes
A walking line that climbs and falls through the chord. Musicians call it boogie-woogie line (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 807 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sleep-in chords
How it goes
Quiet for half the bar, then three chords wake up near the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: Dm – G7 – C
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmG7C- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
Play next
Questions about Hurt So Bad
What chords are in Hurt So Bad?
The loop is Ab – Gm – Ab – Gm (bVI – v – bVI – v) in C minor, and the song ends on Dm – G7 – C.
What key is Hurt So Bad in?
C minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Hurt So Bad?
Boogie walker: boogie-woogie line, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hurt So Bad 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.