Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Hearts Without Chains on piano
Artist unknown
- D minor
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- bVI–bVII–i–bVI loop
- 2013
- Medium
Learn Hearts Without Chains in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bb – C – Dm – Bb
Hearts Without Chains sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbVICVIIDmiBbVI- BbBb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Hurry-and-wait pulse
Three quick notes rush out early, then the bass waits for the next bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 1a · 2& (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 336 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hurrying chords
Calm chords in the first half, then twice as fast to the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 80 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: Bb – C – Dm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm
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Questions about Hearts Without Chains
What chords are in Hearts Without Chains?
The loop is Bb – C – Dm – Bb (bVI – bVII – i – bVI) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.
What key is Hearts Without Chains in?
D minor, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Hearts Without Chains?
Hurry-and-wait pulse: root bass · 1 · 1a · 2&, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hearts Without Chains 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.