Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Happy, Happy Birthday Baby on piano
Written by Margo Sylvia & Gilbert Lopez
- Eb major
- 12/8
- 99 BPM
- 1956
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Happy, Happy Birthday Baby in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Fm – Bb7 – Eb
How it goes
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbVFmiiBb7V7EbI- BbBb · D · F
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Slow-dance heartbeat
How it goes
Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 134 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Doo-wop chords
How it goes
Three soft chords on every slow beat: the classic 1950s ballad sound. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 99 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: Ab – Bb – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
Questions about Happy, Happy Birthday Baby
What chords are in Happy, Happy Birthday Baby?
The loop is Bb – Fm – Bb7 – Eb (V – ii – V7 – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Happy, Happy Birthday Baby in?
Eb major, at about 99 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Happy, Happy Birthday Baby?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Happy, Happy Birthday Baby 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.