Piano chords · Lullaby boat

How to play Born In Chains on piano

Artist unknown

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Born In Chains in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Am – C – Em – Am
How it goes
Born In Chains sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; C is C, E and G; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviCIEmiiiAmvi
- AmA · C · E
- CC · E · G
- EmE · G · B
2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
How it goes
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
Swelling 6/8Open arpeggio · LullabyLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Cradle chordsSyncopated chords · LullabyRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 56 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 – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Born In Chains?

The loop is Am – C – Em – Am (vi – I – iii – vi) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Born In Chains in?

C major, at about 56 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Born In Chains?

Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Born In Chains 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.