Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play And The Cradle Will Rock on piano
Written by David Lee Roth, Edward Van Halen & others
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1980
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn And The Cradle Will Rock in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – G – Am – G
How it goes
And The Cradle Will Rock sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviGVAmviGV- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Eager chords
How it goes
Jumps in early before beat 3, like the chords can’t wait. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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
- CC · E · G
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Questions about And The Cradle Will Rock
What chords are in And The Cradle Will Rock?
The loop is Am – G – Am – G (vi – V5 – vi – V5) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is And The Cradle Will Rock in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in And The Cradle Will Rock?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is And The Cradle Will Rock 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.