Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play The Best Things In Life Are Free on piano
By Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson
- F# minor
- 4/4
- 105 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Best Things In Life Are Free in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Bm – C#m – F#m – Bm
How it goes
The Best Things In Life Are Free sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; C#m is C#, E and G#; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmivC#mvF#miBmiv- BmB · D · F#
- C#mC# · E · G#
- F#mF# · A · C#
- 2
Left hand: Engine 8ths
How it goes
The lowest note on every eighth: the engine of rock. Musicians call it root bass · 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 105 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: D – E – F#m
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
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Questions about The Best Things In Life Are Free
What chords are in The Best Things In Life Are Free?
The loop is Bm – C#m – F#m – Bm (iv – v – i – iv) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is The Best Things In Life Are Free in?
F# minor, at about 105 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in The Best Things In Life Are Free?
Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Best Things In Life Are Free 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.