Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Day Breaks on piano
Written by Norah Jones & Peter Remm
- E major
- 4/4
- 78 BPM
- 2016
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Day Breaks in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – E – C – E
How it goes
Day Breaks sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; E is E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CbVIEICbVIEI- CC · E · G
- EE · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Tick-tick-boom pulse
How it goes
Two quick low notes and a high one, twice: ta-ta-DUM, ta-ta-DUM. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 479 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 78 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
Play next
Questions about Day Breaks
What chords are in Day Breaks?
The loop is C – E – C – E (bVI – I – bVI – I) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Day Breaks in?
E major, at about 78 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Day Breaks?
Tick-tick-boom pulse: root bass · 8ths 1-2, 3-4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Day Breaks 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.