Song practice guide

BeginnerindieKey: E110 BPM4/4

How to Practice First Day of My Life

Bright Eyes' 'First Day of My Life' is one of the most-played indie-folk love songs of the 2000s. The simple chord progression, the gentle melody, and the conversational lyric have made it a cornerstone of indie-folk repertoire and a wedding standard for the millennial generation.

Free tier: 3 collections · 15 songs each

Song Details

Key
E
Tempo
110 BPM
Time
4/4
Style
boom-chuck

Structure

Verse8 bars, played 2x
Chorus8 bars, played 2x

This song is still under copyright, so we publish its form rather than its chord chart. Add it to your library and you can enter or attach your own chart, and Repertoire will schedule it either way.

What to Focus On

Simple chord changes (typically G-D-Em-C). Steady acoustic strumming. Singing the gentle melody with restraint.

Practice Tips

  1. 1

    Four chords, no excuses. Master the changes and the rest is feel.

  2. 2

    Conor Oberst's vocal is conversational and slightly cracked. That's the model.

  3. 3

    The lyric is intimate. Don't oversing it.

Why This Song

It's the great indie-folk love song of the 2000s, and a millennial wedding standard.

Practice First Day of My Life Daily

Repertoire uses spaced repetition to keep your songs sharp. Add this song to your collection and the system schedules your practice automatically.

No credit card required • Free tier: 3 collections · 15 songs each