Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Born Free on piano
By Roger Williams
- F major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 1966
- Medium
Learn Born Free in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – F – Bb
Born Free sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVFIBbIV- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: River roll
Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, like a river. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 242 songs of the library.
- 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
Both hands at 100 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
Ending: Gm – C7 – F
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GmC7F- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
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Questions about Born Free
What chords are in Born Free?
The loop is F – Bb – F – Bb (I – IV – I – IV) in F major, and the song ends on Gm – C7 – F.
What key is Born Free in?
F major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Born Free?
River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Born Free easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.