Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play It Is Well With My Soul on piano
By Horatio G. Spafford
- C major
- 4/4
- 150 BPM
- I–ii–I–ii loop
- 2017
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn It Is Well With My Soul in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Dm – C – Dm
How it goes
It Is Well With My Soul sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIDmiiCIDmii- CC · E · G
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
How it goes
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 150 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
- GG · B · D
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Questions about It Is Well With My Soul
What chords are in It Is Well With My Soul?
The loop is C – Dm – C – Dm (I – ii – I – ii) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is It Is Well With My Soul in?
C major, at about 150 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in It Is Well With My Soul?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is It Is Well With My Soul 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.