Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Boys Don't Cry on piano
By Plumb
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 96 BPM
- 2002
- Medium
Learn Boys Don't Cry in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Eb – Ab – Fm
Boys Don't Cry sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Fm is F, Ab and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbVEbIAbIVFmii- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AbAb · C · Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
- 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
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 96 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
Ending: Fm – Bb – Eb
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FmBbEb
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Questions about Boys Don't Cry
What chords are in Boys Don't Cry?
The loop is Bb – Eb – Ab – Fm (V – I – IV – ii) in Eb major, and the song ends on Fm – Bb – Eb.
What key is Boys Don't Cry in?
Eb major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Boys Don't Cry?
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 Boys Don't Cry 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.