Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Old Days on piano
Written by Ingrid Michaelson, Barry Dean & others
- G minor
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- 2016
- Medium
Learn Old Days in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – Eb – Bb – Gm
Old Days sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiEbVIBbIIIGmi- GmG · Bb · D
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), 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 90 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- FF · A · C
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Questions about Old Days
What chords are in Old Days?
The loop is Gm – Eb – Bb – Gm (i – bVI – bIII5 – i) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is Old Days in?
G minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Old Days?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Old Days 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.