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Songs/弹唱

Sunny Day (晴天)

Upper IntermediateJay Chou

Strumming: Verse fingerpicking (bass note follows the chord across strings), chorus strumming: D · D U · U · D U

Play along: The all-purpose strum

Focus: Verse descending bass line in G (D/F# and G/B slash chords in practice) + pre-chorus vi–IV–I–V loop (same as “The Ordinary Road”) + chorus 4–5–3–6 pattern; the dynamic contrast of fingerpicked verse vs. strummed chorus

Transpose · Capo

G
Original G
Pick a target key
Match your voice

The original key is inferred from the first chord in the chart. Transposing changes the chords you have to play; to keep easy shapes, switch to “Capo” instead.

💡 Too high to sing? Move down. Too low? Move up. Guys often go a few keys below the original, women a bit above — that's just a starting point. You've got it right when you can sing the highest line of the chorus comfortably.

Chords in this song

✦ = harder to play (mostly barre); try a capo
213
✕✕132
23
✕321
✕231
1✕243
✕23

Chord progression

Verse (descending bass line)
GD/F#EmDCG/BAmD
Pre-chorus (before the chorus · loop)
EmCGD
Chorus (loops twice, ending on G the last time)
CDG/BEmCDAmDG

Play-along

Chords change automatically to the beat (following the current key G). Get it smooth slowly, then speed up.

Tap “Start” to play along with the beat
GD/F#EmDCG/BAmDEmCGDCDG/BEmCDAmDG
Speed80 BPM
Time

One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.

Practice ladder · from playing it to playing it well

Not sure how to practice? Follow these four steps — each has a clear goal and a concrete method.

  1. 1

    Get the chords ringing

    Goal: every chord clear, no buzzing

    Get this song's 7 chords ringing one by one and switchable (G · D · Em · C · Am · D/F# · G/B). Press each alone first, then switch in pairs; for any that won't ring, scroll to “Don't know these chords?” below, or use the chord-change timer for a one-minute challenge.

  2. 2

    Play it through in time

    Goal: no stalls with the metronome, start to finish

    Using the “Verse fingerpicking (bass note follows the chord across strings), chorus strumming: D · D U · U · D U” strum, open the metronome and connect the whole song from a slow tempo, no pausing on the changes; while you're at it, spot which chord progression it follows.

  3. 3

    Play it with feel

    Goal: dynamics and a sense of breath

    Verse descending bass line in G (D/F# and G/B slash chords in practice) + pre-chorus vi–IV–I–V loop (same as “The Ordinary Road”) + chorus 4–5–3–6 pattern; the dynamic contrast of fingerpicked verse vs. strummed chorus。

  4. 4

    Own it & make it yours

    Goal: explain why it works and change up your own version

    Try analyzing its chord progression, then use the Transpose / Capo control above to change keys, and try reworking the rhythm, adding color chords or improvising — turn “I can play this one” into “I can play many.”

The progression behind this song

Recognize this go-to progression and you can play loads of songs by analogy:

vi–IV–I–V · The minor-start ballad move

Practice this in the courses

A course uses this very song as a practice piece — follow it step by step, faster than fumbling on your own:

Inversions & Slash Chords: Get the Bass Line Moving

Don't know these chords? Learn them in the courses

Chords only (no lyrics or melody tab); the melody and lyrics are copyright of the original authors — please practice along with the original recording. Key of G, no capo; the signature intro/interlude is a solo passage and is not provided here. The third chord of the chorus is often written as Bm in the original — here it’s replaced with G/B, which avoids the barre while keeping the B bass; beginners can first use D for D/F# and G for G/B to get a smooth basic version going.

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