Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Breakout on piano
By Miley Cyrus
- E major
- 4/4
- 160 BPM
- Medium
Learn Breakout in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – B – Asus4 – B
Breakout sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; B is B, D# and F#; Asus4 is A, D and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIBVAsus4IVsus4BV- EE · G# · B
- BB · D# · F#
- Asus4A · D · E
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
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.
- 3
Right hand: Swinging lantern
Two notes far apart swing back and forth like a lantern in the wind. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Breakout
What chords are in Breakout?
The loop is E – B – Asus4 – B (I5 – V – IVsus – V) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Breakout in?
E major, at about 160 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Breakout?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Breakout 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.