Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Lady Day on piano
By Wayne Shorter
- C major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- 1979
- Medium
Learn Lady Day in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – Eb7 – A7 – Bb
Lady Day sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db; A7 is A, C#, E and G; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVIEb7bIII7A7VI7BbbVII- AA · C# · E
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- A7A · C# · E · G
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 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 80 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: F – G – C
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Lady Day
What chords are in Lady Day?
The loop is A – Eb7 – A7 – Bb (VI – bIII7 – VI7 – bVII) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Lady Day in?
C major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Lady Day?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Lady Day 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.