Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Pass Me By on piano
Written by Cy Coleman
- Eb major
- 6/8
- 135 BPM
- 1964
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Pass Me By in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Fm – Bb7 – Eb
How it goes
Pass Me By sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; 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.
CVIFmiiBb7V7EbI- CC · E · G
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
How it goes
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 135 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 – Ab – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Pass Me By
What chords are in Pass Me By?
The loop is C – Fm – Bb7 – Eb (VI – ii – V7 – I) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Ab – Eb.
What key is Pass Me By in?
Eb major, at about 135 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Pass Me By?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Pass Me By 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.