Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Dog Days Are Over on piano
Artist unknown
- G major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- I–ii–vi–I loop
- 2008
- Medium
Learn Dog Days Are Over in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Am – Em – G
Dog Days Are Over sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Am is A, C and E; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIAmiiEmviGI- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cuckoo clock
High, high, a little lower, twice per bar: cuckoo, cuckoo. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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: Am – C – G
The last chords are ii – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmCG- CC · E · G
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Questions about Dog Days Are Over
What chords are in Dog Days Are Over?
The loop is G – Am – Em – G (I – ii – vi – I) in G major, and the song ends on Am – C – G.
What key is Dog Days Are Over in?
G major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Dog Days Are Over?
Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Dog Days Are Over 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.