Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Day Drinking on piano
Written by Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet & others
- E major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–vi–IV–I loop
- 2014
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Day Drinking in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – C#m – A – E
How it goes
Day Drinking sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIC#mviAIVEI- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
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: Hailstones
How it goes
The top note rattles in very quick bursts, like hail on a window. 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: 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- BB · D# · F#
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Questions about Day Drinking
What chords are in Day Drinking?
The loop is E – C#m – A – E (I – vi – IV – I) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Day Drinking in?
E major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Day Drinking?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Day Drinking easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky 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.