Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Helpless on piano
- F major
- 4/4
- 80 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- 2015
- Medium
Learn Helpless in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – F – Bb
Helpless sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVFIBbIV- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Leapfrog pulse
One long note, then a quick hop that leaps right into beat 3. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2a · 3 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 153 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. 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: F – Bb – F
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FBbF
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Questions about Helpless
What chords are in Helpless?
The loop is F – Bb – F – Bb (I – IV – I – IV) in F major, and the song ends on F – Bb – F.
What key is Helpless in?
F major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Helpless?
Leapfrog pulse: root bass · 1 · 2a · 3, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Helpless 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.