Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Don’t Close Your Eyes on piano
Written by Bob McDill
- G major
- 4/4
- 84 BPM
- V–I–V–vi loop
- 1988
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Don’t Close Your Eyes in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – D – Em
How it goes
Don’t Close Your Eyes sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DVGIDVEmvi- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Rock hop
How it goes
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: Telegraph taps
How it goes
One note tapping like a telegraph, then slipping a step down. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 84 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: G – Am – G
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAmG- AmA · C · E
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Questions about Don’t Close Your Eyes
What chords are in Don’t Close Your Eyes?
The loop is D – G – D – Em (V – I – V – vi) in G major, and the song ends on G – Am – G.
What key is Don’t Close Your Eyes in?
G major, at about 84 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Close Your Eyes?
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 Don’t Close Your Eyes 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.