Ariana Grande - Break Free - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords C, Em, Am, G, D, Bm, B7 Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Intro: C  Am  G  C

       Em       Am
If you want it, take it
G                       C
I should have said it before
         Em       Am
Tried to hide it, fake it
G                   C
I can't pretend anymore

Em             Am
I only want to die alive
G                       C
Never by the hands of a broken heart
Em                     Am
I don't wanna hear you lie tonight
  G                        B7
Now that I've become who I really am

C       Em   G           C
 This is the part when I say I don't want ya
    Em             D           C
I'm stronger than I've been before
       Em   D           C
This is the part when I break free
      Am                   C
Cause I can't resist it no more
       Em   G           C
This is the part when I say I don't want ya
    Em             D           C
I'm stronger than I've been before
       Em   D           C
This is the part when I break free
      Am                   C   Bm C
Cause I can't resist it no more

         Em      Am
You were better, deeper
G              C
I was under a spell
       Em     Am
Like a deadly fear I am , babe
G                C
On the highway to hell

Em             Am
I only want to die alive
G                       C
Never by the hands of a broken heart
Em                     Am
I don't wanna hear you lie tonight
  G                        B7
Now that I've become who I really am

C       Em   G           C
 This is the part when I say I don't want ya
    Em             D           C
I'm stronger than I've been before
       Em   D           C
This is the part when I break free
      Am                   C
Cause I can't resist it no more
       Em   G           C
This is the part when I say I don't want ya
    Em             D           C
I'm stronger than I've been before
       Em   D           C
This is the part when I break free
      Am        C          Am
Cause I can't resist it no more

C *  G *      Em G * D * Am C * G *

    Em
The thought on your body
  D     Am
I came alive
       C
It was lethal
       Em
It was fatal
      Bm                Am
In my dreams it felt so right
      C              Em     D  G     Em Bm
But I woke up and preteeeeeeeeeeeend
    C
Oh baby

       Em   G           C
This is the part when I say I don't want ya
    Em             G           C
I'm stronger than I've been before
       Em   D           C
This is the part when I break free
      Am                   C
Cause I can't resist it no more
       Em   G           C
This is the part when I say I don't want ya
    Em             G           C
I'm stronger than I've been before
       Em   D           C
This is the part when I break free
      Am                   C
Cause I can't resist it no more

End of song Play again?

Ariana Grande - Break Free Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Ariana Grande – Break Free: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on C. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
#7 = F# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G minor side because the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Bb or to Gm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	—
bii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	3×
bII7	B7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	B · D# · F# · A	2×
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	—
II	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	36×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	12×
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	—
#iv	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	30×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	—
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	—
V/ii	G	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	17×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—
vii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	17×

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	—
V/iv	G	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	17×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
ii	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	17×
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	—
#iii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	3×
#III7	B7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F# · A	2×
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	—
IV	C	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	C · E · G	36×
v	Dm	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A	—
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	12×
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	—
#vi	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	30×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	—

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 7 different chords appear 117 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. B7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On B7, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F# · A) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening Em lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is C, Em, Am, G — II–#iv–vii–V/ii from the Bb side, IV–#vi–ii–V/iv from the Gm side. G is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/ii), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Ending on C, the song seals Bb as home.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.