Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Only By Grace on piano
By Petra
- C major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- vi–V–IV–V loop
- 1990
- Medium
Learn Only By Grace in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Am – G – F – G
Only By Grace sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Am is A, C and E; G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AmviGVFIVGV- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Gear-shift chords
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 90 BPM
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: Dm – G – C
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DmGC- DmD · F · A
- CC · E · G
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Questions about Only By Grace
What chords are in Only By Grace?
The loop is Am – G – F – G (vi – V – IV – V) in C major, and the song ends on Dm – G – C.
What key is Only By Grace in?
C major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Only By Grace?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Only By Grace 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.