Piano chords · Lullaby boat
All I Could Do Was Cry: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
Written by Gwen Gordy Fuqua, Berry Gordy & others
- Ab major
- 6/8
- 87 BPM
- I–vi–ii–V7 loop
- 1959
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany All I Could Do Was Cry without reading music. The left hand plays cradle pulse (root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8)) and the right hand cradle chords.
All I Could Do Was Cry accompaniment in letter notes
The Ab – Fm – Bbm – Eb7 loop with cradle pulse in the left hand and cradle chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
How to read the bar sheet
The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.
Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.
Play next
Questions about All I Could Do Was Cry
What are the letter notes for the All I Could Do Was Cry piano accompaniment?
Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is Ab – Fm – Bbm – Eb7, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in All I Could Do Was Cry?
The loop is Ab – Fm – Bbm – Eb7 (I – vi – ii – V7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb7 – Ab.
What key is All I Could Do Was Cry in?
Ab major, at about 87 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in All I Could Do Was Cry?
Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is All I Could Do Was Cry 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.