Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Unbreak My Heart on piano
By Diane Warren
- C major
- 4/4
- 70 BPM
- 1996
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Unbreak My Heart in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Cm – Fm – Bb – G
How it goes
Unbreak My Heart sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Cm is C, Eb and G; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CmiFmivBbbVIIGV- CmC · Eb · G
- FmF · Ab · C
- BbBb · D · F
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Island pulse
How it goes
Three, three, two: the island rhythm in so many pop hits. Musicians call it root bass · tresillo 3-3-2 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Running-late chords
How it goes
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 70 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Unbreak My Heart
What chords are in Unbreak My Heart?
The loop is Cm – Fm – Bb – G (i – iv – bVII – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Unbreak My Heart in?
C major, at about 70 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Unbreak My Heart?
Island pulse: root bass · tresillo 3-3-2, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Unbreak My Heart 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.