Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Break It Off on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Break It Off in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bm – G – A – Bm
Break It Off sits in B minor: B is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmiGVIAVIIBmi
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
21 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Double island pulse
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4& (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 122 songs of the library.
Double island pulseRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Candle flicker
Two low chord notes flicker back and forth, warm like candlelight. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Candle flickerTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
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: G – A – Bm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GABm

What chords are in Break It Off?

The loop is Bm – G – A – Bm (i – bVI – bVII – i) in B minor, and the song ends on G – A – Bm.

What key is Break It Off in?

B minor, at about 125 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Break It Off?

Double island pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& · 3 · 3a · 4&, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Break It Off 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.