Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Cat’s In The Cradle on piano

By Harry Chapin

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Cat’s In The Cradle in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F – Bb – Fsus4 – Cm
How it goes
Cat’s In The Cradle sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; Fsus4 is F, Bb and C; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVFsus4Isus4Cmv
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- Fsus4F · Bb · C
- CmC · Eb · G
2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
How it goes
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Lazy 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 160 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Cat’s In The Cradle?

The loop is F – Bb – Fsus4 – Cm (I – IV – Isus4 – v) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is Cat’s In The Cradle in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Cat’s In The Cradle?

Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Cat’s In The Cradle 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.

Can I hear the real melody of Cat’s In The Cradle?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.