Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play When The Sun Comes Out on piano

By Benny Goodman

  • G major
  • 4/4
  • 75 BPM
  • 1941
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Velvet jazzThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn When The Sun Comes Out in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: D7 – C7 – C#dim – Am

    When The Sun Comes Out sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D7 is D, F#, A and C; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; C#dim is C#, E and G; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    D7V7C7IV7C#dim#iv°Amii
    • D7D · F# · A · C
    • C7C · E · G · Bb
    • C#dimC# · E · G
    • AmA · C · E
  2. 2

    Left hand: Velvet jazz

    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. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 75 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. 5

    Ending: C – D – G

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    CDG
    • CC · E · G
    • DD · F# · A
    • GG · B · D

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Questions about When The Sun Comes Out

What chords are in When The Sun Comes Out?

The loop is D7 – C7 – C#dim – Am (V7 – IV7 – #ivo – ii) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is When The Sun Comes Out in?

G major, at about 75 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in When The Sun Comes Out?

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 When The Sun Comes Out 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.