Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye on piano
By Charlie Daniels Band
- D major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- I–V7–I–I7 loop
- 1984
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – A7 – D – D7
How it goes
Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A7 is A, C#, E and G; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIA7V7DID7I7- DD · F# · A
- A7A · C# · E · G
- D7D · F# · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Rock’n’roll climb
How it goes
Up three chord notes and one step past: the 1950s rock’n’roll climb. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-6 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 204 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
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 120 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 – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye
What chords are in Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye?
The loop is D – A7 – D – D7 (I – V7 – I – I7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye in?
D major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye?
Rock’n’roll climb: broken chord 1-3-5-6, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye 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.