Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Day One on piano
By Matthew West
- D major
- 4/4
- 94 BPM
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Day One in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Gsus4 – Em – A7
Day One sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Gsus4 is G, C and D; Em is E, G and B; A7 is A, C#, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGsus4IVsus4EmiiA7V7- DD · F# · A
- Gsus4G · C · D
- EmE · G · B
- A7A · C# · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Bubbly heartbeat
Steady beats filled with quick little pickups around beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 3& · 4 (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 173 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 94 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: Em – A7 – D
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EmA7D
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Questions about Day One
What chords are in Day One?
The loop is D – Gsus4 – Em – A7 (I – IVsus – ii – V7) in D major, and the song ends on Em – A7 – D.
What key is Day One in?
D major, at about 94 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Day One?
Bubbly heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2a · 3 · 3& · 4, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Day One 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.