Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Born This Way on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Born This Way in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – F – G7 – C – G
How it goes
Born This Way sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIFbVIIG7I7CIVGI
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
102 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
How it goes
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Heartbeat octavesRocking octaves · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
How it goes
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hurrying chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 120 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG
- DD · F# · A

What chords are in Born This Way?

The loop is G – F – G7 – C – G (I – bVII – I7 – IV – I) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.

What key is Born This Way in?

G major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Born This Way?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Born This Way easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Born This Way?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.