Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Don’t Cry Out Loud on piano
Written by Peter Allen & Carole Bayer Sager
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 70 BPM
- I–V–vi–ii loop
- 1976
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Don’t Cry Out Loud in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – F – Gm – Cm
How it goes
Don’t Cry Out Loud sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIFVGmviCmii- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
How it goes
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 70 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: Cm – Eb – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CmEbBb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Don’t Cry Out Loud
What chords are in Don’t Cry Out Loud?
The loop is Bb – F – Gm – Cm (I – V – vi – ii) in Bb major, and the song ends on Cm – Eb – Bb.
What key is Don’t Cry Out Loud in?
Bb major, at about 70 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Don’t Cry Out Loud?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Don’t Cry Out Loud 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.