Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Cream on piano
By Prince
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- Medium
Learn Cream in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Eb – Bb – Eb
Cream sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIEbIVBbIEbIV- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- FF · A · C
Play next
Questions about Cream
What chords are in Cream?
The loop is Bb – Eb – Bb – Eb (I – IV – I – IV) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Cream in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Cream?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Cream 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.