Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Beautiful Day on piano
By U2
- A major
- 4/4
- 136 BPM
- 2000
- Medium
Learn Beautiful Day in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D – Dsus4 – A – A – F#m – Gsus4
Beautiful Day sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Dsus4 is D, G and A; A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; Gsus4 is G, C and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GbVIIDIVDsus4IVsus4AIAIF#mviGsus4bVIIsus4- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- Dsus4D · G · A
- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- Gsus4G · C · D
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Deep-breath chords
A breath on beat 1, then quick chords pumping to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 136 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: D – E – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Beautiful Day
What chords are in Beautiful Day?
The loop is G – D – Dsus4 – A – A – F#m – Gsus4 (bVII – IV – IVsus4 – I – vi – bVIIsus4 – bVII) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.
What key is Beautiful Day in?
A major, at about 136 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Beautiful Day?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Beautiful Day easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Beautiful Day?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure 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.