Don't Go Breaking My Heart Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Don't Go Breaking My Heart in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F – Bb7 – F – Bb7
How it goes
Don't Go Breaking My Heart sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBb7IV7FIBb7IV7
- FF · A · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
24 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Rocket sweep
How it goes
Climbs two octaves in two big leaps, soaring like a rocket. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 1-5-8-8-12-15 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 140 songs of the library.
Rocket sweepWide arpeggio · Film scoreLeft handTricky
3
Right hand: Late-knock chords
How it goes
One chord, a long wait, then a quick knock-knock at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Late-knock chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 110 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: F – Gm – F
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGmF
- GmG · Bb · D

What chords are in Don't Go Breaking My Heart?

The loop is F – Bb7 – F – Bb7 (I – IV7 – I – IV7) in F major, and the song ends on F – Gm – F.

What key is Don't Go Breaking My Heart in?

F major, at about 110 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Don't Go Breaking My Heart?

Rocket sweep: wide arpeggio 1-5-8-8-12-15, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Don't Go Breaking My Heart easy to play on piano?

It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.