Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play The Great Escape on piano

Written by Alecia Moore & Dan Wilson

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn The Great Escape in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: C#m7 – Asus4 – E – Bsus4
How it goes
The Great Escape sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C#m7 is C#, E, G# and B; Asus4 is A, D and E; E is E, G# and B; Bsus4 is B, E and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
C#m7vi7Asus4IVsus4EIBsus4Vsus4
- C#m7C# · E · G# · B
- Asus4A · D · E
- EE · G# · B
- Bsus4B · E · F#
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.
Engine 8thsRoot bass rhythm · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 150 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: A – B – E
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#

What chords are in The Great Escape?

The loop is C#m7 – Asus4 – E – Bsus4 (vi7 – IVsus4 – I – Vsus4) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.

What key is The Great Escape in?

E major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in The Great Escape?

Engine 8ths: root bass · 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Great Escape 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.

Can I hear the real melody of The Great Escape?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the catchy part of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.