Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Be My Baby on piano

Written by Ariana Grande, Theron Thomas & others

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Be My Baby in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Em7 – Em7 – E – Am7 – Cmaj7 – B7
How it goes
Be My Baby sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Em7 is E, G, B and D; E is E, G# and B; Am7 is A, C, E and G; Cmaj7 is C, E, G and B; B7 is B, D#, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Em7i7Em7i7EIAm7iv7Cmaj7VImaj7B7V7
- Em7E · G · B · D
- EE · G# · B
- Am7A · C · E · G
- Cmaj7C · E · G · B
- B7B · D# · F# · A
2
Left hand: Pausing footsteps
How it goes
Three even steps, then a quiet beat to breathe. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pausing footstepsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
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.
Ticking clockRepeated-note pulse · RockRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 144 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: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm
- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B

What chords are in Be My Baby?

The loop is Em7 – Em7 – E – Am7 – Cmaj7 – B7 (i7 – I – iv7 – VImaj7 – V7 – i7) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.

What key is Be My Baby in?

E minor, at about 144 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Be My Baby?

Pausing footsteps: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Be My Baby easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Be My Baby?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.