Piano chords · Rock drive
Breakdown: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes
By Jack Johnson
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- Medium
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 Breakdown without reading music. The left hand plays power fifths (lh power fifths), and the right hand sings the tune.
The intro of Breakdown 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.
Breakdown accompaniment in letter notes
The C – Em – Am – G loop with power fifths in the left hand. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.
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 Breakdown
What are the letter notes for the Breakdown 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 – Em – Am – G, so the letters repeat with the chords.
What chords are in Breakdown?
The loop is C – Em – Am – G (I – iii – vi – V) in C major, and the song ends on Am – G – C.
What key is Breakdown in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Breakdown?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Breakdown 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.
Can I hear the real melody of Breakdown?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.