Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Awake on piano
By Letters To Cleo
- Ab major
- 4/4
- 65 BPM
- 1995
- Easy
Learn Awake in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Absus4 – Db – Ebsus4 – Eb
Awake sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Absus4 is Ab, Db and Eb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Ebsus4 is Eb, Ab and Bb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Absus4Isus4DbIVEbsus4Vsus4EbV- Absus4Ab · Db · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- Ebsus4Eb · Ab · Bb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 65 BPM
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: Ebsus4 – Eb – Ab
The last chords are Vsus – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
Ebsus4EbAb- AbAb · C · Eb
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Questions about Awake
What chords are in Awake?
The loop is Absus4 – Db – Ebsus4 – Eb (Isus – IV – Vsus – V) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ebsus4 – Eb – Ab.
What key is Awake in?
Ab major, at about 65 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Awake?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Awake easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.