Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? on piano
- D major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m – G#m – C#7 – F#
How it goes
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; G#m is G#, B and D#; C#7 is C#, E#, G# and B; F# is F#, A# and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#miiiG#m#ivC#7VII7F#III- F#mF# · A · C#
- G#mG# · B · D#
- C#7C# · E# · G# · B
- F#F# · A# · C#
- 2
Left hand: Velvet jazz
How it goes
Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Knock-knock chords
How it goes
Chord, a quick knock-knock, a pause, then one last chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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 – C – D
How it goes
The last chords are I – bVII – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DCD- DD · F# · A
- CC · E · G
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Questions about What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
What chords are in What Are You Doing New Year's Eve??
The loop is F#m – G#m – C#7 – F# (iii – #iv – VII7 – III) in D major, and the song ends on D – C – D.
What key is What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? in?
D major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in What Are You Doing New Year's Eve??
Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.