Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Wake Me Up on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Wake Me Up in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bm – G – D – F# – Bm – G – D
How it goes
Wake Me Up sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiGVIDIIIF#VBmiGVIDIII
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- F#F# · A# · C#
41 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Walking roots
How it goes
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Walking rootsRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Groovy chords
How it goes
Chords jump around the “ands” for a funky, dancing feel. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Groovy chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 124 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: G – A – Bm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Wake Me Up?

The loop is Bm – G – D – F# – Bm – G – D (i – VI – III – V – i – VI – III) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.

What key is Wake Me Up in?

B minor, at about 124 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Wake Me Up?

Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Wake Me Up easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Wake Me Up?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.