Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Baby Scratch My Back on piano
By Otis Redding
- Db major
- 4/4
- 96 BPM
- I7–IV7–I7–V7 loop
- 1966
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Baby Scratch My Back in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db7 – Gb7 – Db7 – Ab7
How it goes
Baby Scratch My Back sits in Db major: Db is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Db7 is Db, F, Ab and Cb; Gb7 is Gb, Bb, Db and Fb; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Db7I7Gb7IV7Db7I7Ab7V7- Db7Db · F · Ab · Cb
- Gb7Gb · Bb · Db · Fb
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 96 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: Gb – Ab – Db
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GbAbDb- GbGb · Bb · Db
- AbAb · C · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
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Questions about Baby Scratch My Back
What chords are in Baby Scratch My Back?
The loop is Db7 – Gb7 – Db7 – Ab7 (I7 – IV7 – I7 – V7) in Db major, and the song ends on Gb – Ab – Db.
What key is Baby Scratch My Back in?
Db major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Baby Scratch My Back?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Baby Scratch My Back 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.