Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Baby Doll on piano
Written by Rob Thomas & Pat Green
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 110 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Baby Doll in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Ebsus4 – Bbm – Ebsus4
How it goes
Baby Doll sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Ebsus4 is Eb, Ab and Bb; Bbm is Bb, Db and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEbsus4Vsus4BbmiiEbsus4Vsus4- AbAb · C · Eb
- Ebsus4Eb · Ab · Bb
- BbmBb · Db · F
- 2
Left hand: Hurrying footsteps
How it goes
Calm steps in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 642 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 110 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: Db – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Baby Doll
What chords are in Baby Doll?
The loop is Ab – Ebsus4 – Bbm – Ebsus4 (I5 – Vsus – ii – Vsus) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Baby Doll in?
Ab major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Baby Doll?
Hurrying footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 3& · 4 · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Baby Doll 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.