Piano chords · Blues & boogie
How to play You Are My Sunshine on piano
By Jimmie Davis
- F major
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- 1930
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn You Are My Sunshine in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C7 – C7 – F – F
How it goes
You Are My Sunshine sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: F is F, A and C; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIC7V7C7V7FIFI- FF · A · C
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Rock’n’roll rocker
How it goes
The left hand rocks between two shapes, straight out of the 1950s. Musicians call it rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle (boogie & shuffle), a medium pattern heard in 262 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Wait-a-beat chords
How it goes
Silence on beat 1, then chords on 2, 3 and 4, leaving room for the bass. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: F – C7 – F
How it goes
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FC7F
Play next
Questions about You Are My Sunshine
What chords are in You Are My Sunshine?
The loop is F – C7 – C7 – F – F (I – V7 – I – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on F – C7 – F.
What key is You Are My Sunshine in?
F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in You Are My Sunshine?
Rock’n’roll rocker: rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is You Are My Sunshine easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of You Are My Sunshine?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.