Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play New Year’s Day on piano
Written by U2
- G minor
- 4/4
- 132 BPM
- 1983
- Medium
Learn New Year’s Day in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Bb – Dm – Gm
New Year’s Day sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Bb is Bb, D and F; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiBbIIIDmvGmi- GmG · Bb · D
- BbBb · D · F
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
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: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 132 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 – F – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
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Questions about New Year’s Day
What chords are in New Year’s Day?
The loop is Gm – Bb – Dm – Gm (i – bIII – v – i) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is New Year’s Day in?
G minor, at about 132 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in New Year’s Day?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is New Year’s 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.