Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Break Me Down on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Break Me Down in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Am – F – G – Am
How it goes
Break Me Down sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; F is F, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviFIVGVAmvi
- AmA · C · E
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
39 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Gospel-clap chords
How it goes
Skips beat 1, then soulful chords that bounce off the “ands”. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Gospel-clap chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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 – F – C
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC
- CC · E · G

What chords are in Break Me Down?

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

What key is Break Me Down in?

C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Break Me Down?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Break Me Down 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.