Six Months Out Of The Year Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Six Months Out Of The Year in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: A – A#dim – Bm – E7
How it goes
Six Months Out Of The Year sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; A#dim is A#, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#; E7 is E, G#, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIA#dimbii°BmiiE7V7
- AA · C# · E
- A#dimA# · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- E7E · G# · B · D
32 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Polka oom-pah
How it goes
One bass note and three quick chords: a bouncy polka. Musicians call it bass + chords (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 86 songs of the library.
Polka oom-pahStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Clockwork chords
How it goes
Four quick, even chords per short bar, ticking like clockwork. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Clockwork chordsSyncopated chords · StrideRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 138 BPM
How it goes
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: D – E – A
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA
- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B

What chords are in Six Months Out Of The Year?

The loop is A – A#dim – Bm – E7 (I – biio – ii – V7) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Six Months Out Of The Year in?

A major, at about 138 beats a minute in 2/4.

What does the left hand play in Six Months Out Of The Year?

Polka oom-pah: bass + chords (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Six Months Out Of The Year 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.