Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby: piano accompaniment sheet music
Written by Margo Sylvia & Gilbert Lopez
- Eb major
- 12/8
- 99 BPM
- 1956
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby written out as piano music: the V – ii – V7 – I loop in Eb major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)) and the right hand doo-wop chords.
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in Eb major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bb | V | Bb D F |
| 2 | Fm | ii | F Ab C |
| 3 | Bb7 | V7 | Bb D F Ab |
| 4 | Eb | I | Eb G Bb |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: slow-dance heartbeat (root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8)) in the left hand and doo-wop chords in the right, over the Bb – Fm – Bb7 – Eb chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
Questions about Happy, Happy Birthday Baby
Does the sheet music for Happy, Happy Birthday Baby have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
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.