Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Happy Days on piano
By Pratt & McClain
- Ab major
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- 1974
- Easy
Learn Happy Days in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Fm – Cm7 – Db – Eb7 – Cm7
Happy Days sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Cm7 is C, Eb, G and Bb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIFmviCm7iii7DbIVEb7V7Cm7iii7- AbAb · C · Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
- Cm7C · Eb · G · Bb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- 2
Left hand: Stair steps
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 438 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Push chords
Two quick chords and a push just before beat 3, then space. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: Eb – Db – Ab
The last chords are V – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbDbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
Play next
Questions about Happy Days
What chords are in Happy Days?
The loop is Ab – Fm – Cm7 – Db – Eb7 – Cm7 (I – vi – iii7 – IV – V7 – iii7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Eb – Db – Ab.
What key is Happy Days in?
Ab major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Happy Days?
Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Happy Days easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Can I hear the real melody of Happy Days?
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.