Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Wake Me Up When September Ends on piano
Written by Green Day
- G major
- 4/4
- 104 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Learn Wake Me Up When September Ends in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – C – Cm – G
Wake Me Up When September Ends sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; C is C, E and G; Cm is C, Eb and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GICIVCmivGI- GG · B · D
- CC · E · G
- CmC · Eb · G
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 104 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: C – Cm – G
The last chords are IV – iv – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CCmG
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Questions about Wake Me Up When September Ends
What chords are in Wake Me Up When September Ends?
The loop is G – C – Cm – G (I5 – IV – iv – I5) in G major, and the song ends on C – Cm – G.
What key is Wake Me Up When September Ends in?
G major, at about 104 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Wake Me Up When September Ends?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Wake Me Up When September Ends 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.