Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus on piano

By Steven K. Tedesco

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Em – G7 – Dm7 – G
How it goes
No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em is E, G and B; G7 is G, B, D and F; Dm7 is D, F, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EmiiiG7V7Dm7ii7GV
- EmE · G · B
- G7G · B · D · F
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- GG · B · D
2
Left hand: Ragtime bounce
How it goes
Quick bass-chord-bass-chord: the bouncy left hand of ragtime. Musicians call it boom-chick (2/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 137 songs of the library.
Ragtime bounceStride & boom-chick · StrideLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Marching chords
How it goes
Two chords per bar, left-right, like a happy little march. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Marching chordsBlock chords · StrideRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 56 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
- CC · E · G

What chords are in No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus?

The loop is Em – G7 – Dm7 – G (iii – V7 – ii7 – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus in?

C major, at about 56 beats a minute in 2/4.

What does the left hand play in No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus?

Ragtime bounce: boom-chick (2/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus 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.

Can I hear the real melody of No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus?

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

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