Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play You Can’t Hurry Love on piano
By Brian Holland
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1965
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn You Can’t Hurry Love in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – Eb – Bb – Dm
How it goes
You Can’t Hurry Love sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIEbIVBbIDmiii- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Bouncing Alberti
How it goes
Low, high, middle, high on each beat: a bouncy, cheerful bass. Musicians call it alberti bass 1-8-5-8 (alberti bass), an easy pattern heard in 172 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. 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 – F7 – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbF7Bb- F7F · A · C · Eb
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Questions about You Can’t Hurry Love
What chords are in You Can’t Hurry Love?
The loop is Bb – Eb – Bb – Dm (I – IV – I – iii) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F7 – Bb.
What key is You Can’t Hurry Love in?
Bb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in You Can’t Hurry Love?
Bouncing Alberti: alberti bass 1-8-5-8, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Can’t Hurry Love 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.