Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Not The Boy Next Door on piano
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1983
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Not The Boy Next Door in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bbsus4 – Bb – Gb – Ab7
How it goes
Not The Boy Next Door sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bbsus4 is Bb, Eb and F; Bb is Bb, D and F; Gb is Gb, Bb and Db; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Bbsus4Isus4BbIGbbVIAb7bVII7- Bbsus4Bb · Eb · F
- BbBb · D · F
- GbGb · Bb · Db
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- 2
Left hand: Galloping heartbeat
How it goes
Ta-DUM, ta-DUM: quick pickups into beats 2 and 4, like hooves. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 115 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Swing push
How it goes
Three chords tumble out early with a swing, then the bar breathes. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
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Questions about Not The Boy Next Door
What chords are in Not The Boy Next Door?
The loop is Bbsus4 – Bb – Gb – Ab7 (Isus – I – bVI – bVII7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is Not The Boy Next Door in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Not The Boy Next Door?
Galloping heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2 · 3 · 3a · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Not The Boy Next Door 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.