Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Surrender on piano
- C minor
- 2/2
- 140 BPM
- 1960
- Easy
Learn Surrender in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – C – Dm – G7
Surrender sits in C minor: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiCIDmiiG7V7- CmC · Eb · G
- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- G7G · B · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Stair steps
Three notes climb up the chord in the island rhythm. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 438 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 140 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: Ab – Bb – Cm
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbCm- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Surrender
What chords are in Surrender?
The loop is Cm – C – Dm – G7 (i – I – ii – V7) in C minor, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Cm.
What key is Surrender in?
C minor, at about 140 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Surrender?
Stair steps: broken chord 1-3-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Surrender 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.