Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play What A Day That Will Be on piano
Written by Jim Hill
- Ab major
- 3/4
- 135 BPM
- I–V7–I–V7 loop
- 1955
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn What A Day That Will Be in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Eb7 – Ab – Eb7
How it goes
What A Day That Will Be sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Eb7 is Eb, G, Bb and Db. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIEb7V7AbIEb7V7- AbAb · C · Eb
- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
- 2
Left hand: Waltz stride
How it goes
A deep bass, a chord above, then the octave: a leaping waltz. Musicians call it stride (3/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 215 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 135 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: Ab – Eb7 – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbEb7Ab
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Questions about What A Day That Will Be
What chords are in What A Day That Will Be?
The loop is Ab – Eb7 – Ab – Eb7 (I – V7 – I – V7) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ab – Eb7 – Ab.
What key is What A Day That Will Be in?
Ab major, at about 135 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in What A Day That Will Be?
Waltz stride: stride (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is What A Day That Will Be 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.