Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Bye Bye Love on piano
By The Cars
- E major
- 4/4
- 128 BPM
- I–V–IV–I loop
- 1978
- Medium
Learn Bye Bye Love in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – B – A – E
Bye Bye Love sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIBVAIVEI- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Lub-dub chords
Two quick chords, a pause, two quick chords: just like a heartbeat. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 128 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE
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Questions about Bye Bye Love
What chords are in Bye Bye Love?
The loop is E – B – A – E (I – V – IV – I) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Bye Bye Love in?
E major, at about 128 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Bye Bye Love?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Bye Bye Love 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.