Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Hallelujah on piano
By Neil Diamond
- G major
- 6/8
- 90 BPM
- 1995
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Hallelujah in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – Em – G – Em
How it goes
Hallelujah sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIEmviGIEmvi- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- 2
Left hand: Little rainbow
How it goes
Six notes up the chord and back down: an arch in one rocking bar. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-8-5-3 (6/8) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 35 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
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 90 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: G – C – G
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GCG- CC · E · G
Play next
Questions about Hallelujah
What chords are in Hallelujah?
The loop is G – Em – G – Em (I5 – vi – I5 – vi) in G major, and the song ends on G – C – G.
What key is Hallelujah in?
G major, at about 90 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Hallelujah?
Little rainbow: broken chord 1-3-5-8-5-3 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Hallelujah 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.