Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

How to play Mary, Did You Know? on piano

By Mark Lowry

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Mary, Did You Know? in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – Gm7 – A7 – A – A7
How it goes
Mary, Did You Know? sits in D minor: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: C is C, E and G; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F; A7 is A, C#, E and G; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CVIIGm7iv7A7V7AVA7V7
- CC · E · G
- Gm7G · Bb · D · F
- A7A · C# · E · G
- AA · C# · E
2
Left hand: Jack-in-the-box
How it goes
One note jumping up and down an octave on every beat. Musicians call it broken chord 3-10 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 164 songs of the library.
Jack-in-the-boxBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
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.
Offbeat skankOffbeat chords · Blues and boogie-woogieRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 108 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: Bb – C – Dm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCDm
- BbBb · D · F
- DmD · F · A

What chords are in Mary, Did You Know??

The loop is C – Gm7 – A7 – A – A7 (VII – iv7 – V7 – V – V7) in D minor, and the song ends on Bb – C – Dm.

What key is Mary, Did You Know? in?

D minor, at about 108 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Mary, Did You Know??

Jack-in-the-box: broken chord 3-10, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Mary, Did You Know? easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Mary, Did You Know??

Yes: "The part you know" plays the intro of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.