Baby, It's Cold Outside Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Baby, It's Cold Outside in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Cm – F7 – Bb – Cm
How it goes
Baby, It's Cold Outside sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiiF7V7BbICmii
- CmC · Eb · G
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
62 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Stride jumps
How it goes
Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.
Stride jumpsStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Swinging star
How it goes
A high note and a lower one swing back and forth in quick notes. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Swinging starTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 85 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 – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Baby, It's Cold Outside?

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

What key is Baby, It's Cold Outside in?

Bb major, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Baby, It's Cold Outside?

Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Baby, It's Cold Outside 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.