Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Safe on piano
By Westlife
- D major
- 4/4
- 72 BPM
- I–IVsus–I–IVsus loop
- 2010
- Medium
Learn Safe in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Gsus4 – D – Gsus4
Safe sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Gsus4 is G, C and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGsus4IVsus4DIGsus4IVsus4- DD · F# · A
- Gsus4G · C · D
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Steady chords
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 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: G – A – D
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
Play next
Questions about Safe
What chords are in Safe?
The loop is D – Gsus4 – D – Gsus4 (I – IVsus – I – IVsus) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Safe in?
D major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Safe?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Safe 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.