Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Soak Up The Sun on piano
Written by Jeff Trott & Sheryl Crow
- E major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2001
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Soak Up The Sun in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – D – E – B
How it goes
Soak Up The Sun sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; D is D, F# and A; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIDbVIIEIBV- EE · G# · B
- DD · F# · A
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
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: Hurrying chords
How it goes
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Soak Up The Sun
What chords are in Soak Up The Sun?
The loop is E – D – E – B (I5 – bVII5 – I5 – V5) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Soak Up The Sun in?
E major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Soak Up The Sun?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Soak Up The Sun 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.