Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Lullaby boat

Breakaway: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Kelly Clarkson

  • C major
  • 6/8
  • 78 BPM
  • 2004
  • Medium
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Left hand Rowing-boat pulseThe right hand sings the tuneChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Breakaway without reading music. The left hand plays rowing-boat pulse (root bass · 6/8 8ths), and the right hand sings the tune.

The main tune of Breakaway in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RC5 D5 G4+E5 C5 D5 G4+E5
LC3 G3 E4 C3 G3 E4
Bar 2
G
RC5 D5 G4+E5 G4+B4 C5
LG2 D3 G3 G2 D3 G3
Bar 3
Am → G
RE4+C5+E5 D4+B4+D5
LA2 E3 C4 G2 D3 B3
Bar 4
F → Am7
RF4+G4+C5
LF2 C3 G3 A3

Breakaway accompaniment in letter notes

The C – G – Am – G – F – Am7 loop with rowing-boat pulse in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 2
G
RG4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 3
Am → G
RA3+C4+E4 G4+B4+D5
LA2 A2 A2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 4
F → Am7
RF4+A4+C5 E4 G4 A4 C5 E5 G5
LF2 F2 F2 A2 A2 A2
Bar 5
C
RC4+E4+G4
LC3 C3 C3 C3 C3 C3
Bar 6
G
RG4+B4+D5
LG2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 7
Am → G
RA3+C4+E4 G4+B4+D5
LA2 A2 A2 G2 G2 G2
Bar 8
F → Am7
RF4+A4+C5 A3+C4+E4
LF2 F2 F2 A2 A2 A2

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about Breakaway

What are the letter notes for the Breakaway piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is C – G – Am – G – F – Am7, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Breakaway?

The loop is C – G – Am – G – F – Am7 (I – V – vi – V – IV – vi7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Breakaway in?

C major, at about 78 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Breakaway?

Rowing-boat pulse: root bass · 6/8 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Breakaway easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Breakaway?

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.