Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Break Free on piano
Written by Savan Kotecha, Max Martin & others
- G minor
- 4/4
- 125 BPM
- i–bVII–bIII–bVI loop
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Break Free in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Gm – F – Bb – Eb
Break Free sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Gm is G, Bb and D; F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GmiFVIIBbIIIEbVI- GmG · Bb · D
- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- EbEb · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Walking roots
One low note on every beat, steady as walking feet. Musicians call it root bass · quarters (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 125 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: Eb – F – Gm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm
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Questions about Break Free
What chords are in Break Free?
The loop is Gm – F – Bb – Eb (i – bVII – bIII – bVI) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is Break Free in?
G minor, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Break Free?
Walking roots: root bass · quarters, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Break 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.