Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Baby Doll on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Baby Doll in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: F7 – Bb – Eb – F7
How it goes
Baby Doll sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F7V7BbIEbIVF7V7
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
29 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Climb-and-jump
How it goes
Up the chord one note per beat, then a big jump back to the bottom. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-1 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 146 songs of the library.
Climb-and-jumpBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Offbeat skank
How it goes
Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Offbeat skankOffbeat chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 140 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: Eb – F7 – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbF7Bb

What chords are in Baby Doll?

The loop is F7 – Bb – Eb – F7 (V7 – I – IV – V7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F7 – Bb.

What key is Baby Doll in?

Bb major, at about 140 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Baby Doll?

Climb-and-jump: broken chord 1-5-8-1, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Baby Doll 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.