Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Baby Step Back on piano

By Gordon Lightfoot

Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Rock hopThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Baby Step Back in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: F#m – B – F#m – B

    Baby Step Back sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    F#miBIVF#miBIV
    • F#mF# · A · C#
    • BB · D# · F#
    34 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Rock hop

    Low, high, a quick double, then high again: a hopping rock bass. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 809 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 BPM

    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. 5

    Ending: D – E – F#m

    The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    DEF#m
    • DD · F# · A
    • EE · G# · B

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Questions about Baby Step Back

What chords are in Baby Step Back?

The loop is F#m – B – F#m – B (i – IV – i – IV) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.

What key is Baby Step Back in?

F# minor, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Baby Step Back?

Rock hop: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2& · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Baby Step Back 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.