Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play It Had Better Be Tonight on piano
- D minor
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- 1962
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn It Had Better Be Tonight in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C#dim – Dm – C#dim – Dm – Eb – A – Dm – Dm
How it goes
It Had Better Be Tonight sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: C#dim is C#, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#dimvii°DmiC#dimvii°DmiEbbIIAVDmiDmi- C#dimC# · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- EbEb · G · Bb
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Hop-up drop
How it goes
A jump up, the top note twice, then a drop below the start. Musicians call it broken chord 8-12-12-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 40 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Eager chords
How it goes
Jumps in early before beat 3, like the chords can’t wait. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
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Questions about It Had Better Be Tonight
What chords are in It Had Better Be Tonight?
The loop is C#dim – Dm – C#dim – Dm – Eb – A – Dm – Dm (vii° – i – vii° – i – bII – V – i – vii°) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is It Had Better Be Tonight in?
D minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It Had Better Be Tonight?
Hop-up drop: broken chord 8-12-12-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It Had Better Be Tonight easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of It Had Better Be Tonight?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the bass riff of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.