Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play Jesus Is Life on piano
Written by Steven Curtis Chapman & James Isaac Elliott
- Eb major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 2001
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Jesus Is Life in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Ab – Bb – G
How it goes
Jesus Is Life sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVIAbIVBbVGIII- CC · E · G
- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
How it goes
Quick even chords that skip beat 3, like an engine changing gear. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: Eb – Ab – Eb
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbAbEb- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Jesus Is Life
What chords are in Jesus Is Life?
The loop is C – Ab – Bb – G (VI5 – IV5 – V5 – III5) in Eb major, and the song ends on Eb – Ab – Eb.
What key is Jesus Is Life in?
Eb major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Jesus Is Life?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Jesus Is Life 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.