Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play Amazing Grace on piano
By Hayley Westenra
- F# major
- 3/4
- 60 BPM
- I–I7–IV–I loop
- Medium
Learn Amazing Grace in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F# – F#7 – B – F#
Amazing Grace sits in F# major: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F# is F#, A# and C#; F#7 is F#, A#, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#IF#7I7BIVF#I- F#F# · A# · C#
- F#7F# · A# · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Mozart murmur
Low, high, middle, high, over and over: the Mozart murmur. Musicians call it alberti bass 1-5-3-5 (alberti bass), a medium pattern heard in 186 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 60 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: B – C# – F#
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BC#F#- C#C# · E# · G#
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Questions about Amazing Grace
What chords are in Amazing Grace?
The loop is F# – F#7 – B – F# (I – I7 – IV – I) in F# major, and the song ends on B – C# – F#.
What key is Amazing Grace in?
F# major, at about 60 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Amazing Grace?
Mozart murmur: alberti bass 1-5-3-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Amazing Grace 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.