Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Friend Of God on piano

By Israel Houghton

  • D major
  • 4/4
  • 120 BPM
  • 2003
  • Medium
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Engine 8thsRight hand Offbeat skankChords the loop the song repeats most

Play the full song with sheet music

Learn Friend Of God in 5 steps

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

  1. 1

    Chords: D – Bm – Em – D

    How it goes

    Friend Of God sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    DIBmviEmiiDI
    • DD · F# · A
    • BmB · D · F#
    • EmE · G · B
  2. 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. 3

    Right hand: Offbeat skank

    How it goes

    Chords only on the “and”: reggae and swing. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 120 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. 5

    Ending: G – A – D

    How it goes

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    GAD
    • GG · B · D
    • AA · C# · E

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Questions about Friend Of God

What chords are in Friend Of God?

The loop is D – Bm – Em – D (I – vi – ii – I) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is Friend Of God in?

D major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Friend Of God?

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

Is Friend Of God 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.