Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now on piano
By Johnny Cash
- Ab major
- 2/2
- 132 BPM
- I–IV–I–IV loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Db – Ab – Db
How it goes
I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Db is Db, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIDbIVAbIDbIV- AbAb · C · Eb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 132 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: Ab – Eb – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbEbAb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now
What chords are in I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now?
The loop is Ab – Db – Ab – Db (I – IV – I – IV) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ab – Eb – Ab.
What key is I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now in?
Ab major, at about 132 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now 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.