Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Stay Awake on piano
- F# minor
- 4/4
- 78 BPM
- 2012
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Stay Awake in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Bm – F#m – C#m
How it goes
Stay Awake sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; F#m is F#, A and C#; C#m is C#, E and G#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DVIBmivF#miC#mv- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- F#mF# · A · C#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- 2
Left hand: Double island pulse
How it goes
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 122 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double island chords
How it goes
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 78 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 – F#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- EE · G# · B
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Questions about Stay Awake
What chords are in Stay Awake?
The loop is D – Bm – F#m – C#m (bVI – iv – i – v) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is Stay Awake in?
F# minor, at about 78 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Stay Awake?
Double island pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Stay Awake 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.