Feb72020

Green Day – I Was A Teenage Teenager Piano & Ukulele Chord Progression and Tab

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This is the chords of I Was A Teenage Teenager by Green Day on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard.

[Intro]
Ab Eb Fm x2

[Pre-Chorus]
Ab Fm Ab Fm
I don’t wanna freak you out, but I cannot lie
Ab Fm Ab Fm
I don’t wanna freak you out, but I cannot lie
Ab Fm Ab Fm
So who’s holding the drugs? Who’s holding the drugs?
Ab Fm Ab Fm
I don’t wanna freak you out, but I cannot lie

[Chorus]
Ab Db Eb
I was a teenage teenager full of piss and vinegar
Ab Db Eb
Living like a prisoner for haters
Ab Db Eb
I was a teenage teenager, I am an alien visitor
Ab Db Eb
My life’s a mess and school is just for suckers

[Instrumental]
Ab Eb Fm x2

[Instrumental Bridge]
Ab Db Eb x2
Ab (Eb) Fm

How to play I Was A Teenage Teenager: key, chords and progression

I Was A Teenage Teenager by Green Day is centred on A♭ major (four flats: B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭). The song uses 4 chords: Ab, Eb, Fm and Db.

The backbone of the song is Ab – Db – Eb – Ab (I – IV – V – I in A♭ major), the I–IV–V–I, the backbone of gospel, blues and folk. In solfa, that is doh – fah – soh – doh. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 1st fret and play the shapes G, D, Em, C (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 0% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.