Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Now We Are Free on piano
By Klaus Badelt
- G major
- 3/4
- 72 BPM
- 2000
- Easy
Learn Now We Are Free in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – D – Bm – Em
Now We Are Free sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmiiDVBmiiiEmvi- AmA · C · E
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Slow-dance heartbeat
Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 134 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 72 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: C – D – G
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
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Questions about Now We Are Free
What chords are in Now We Are Free?
The loop is Am – D – Bm – Em (ii – V – iii – vi) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is Now We Are Free in?
G major, at about 72 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Now We Are Free?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Now We Are Free easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.