Piano chords · Film & wonder

How to play People Need The Lord on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn People Need The Lord in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: A – G – D – D – Em – D
How it goes
People Need The Lord sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: A is A, C# and E; G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AVGIVDIDIEmiiDI
- AA · C# · E
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
202 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Big sweep
How it goes
Two octaves in one sweep: the film-score sound. Musicians call it wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8 (wide arpeggio), a tricky pattern heard in 131 songs of the library.
Big sweepWide arpeggio · Film scoreLeft handTricky
3
Right hand: Steady chords
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, steady and simple. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Steady chordsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 72 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: D – Em – D
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEmD

What chords are in People Need The Lord?

The loop is A – G – D – D – Em – D (V – IV – I – ii – I – V) in D major, and the song ends on D – Em – D.

What key is People Need The Lord in?

D major, at about 72 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in People Need The Lord?

Big sweep: wide arpeggio 8-12-15-1-5-8, a tricky pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is People Need The Lord easy to play on piano?

It is a tricky one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of People Need The Lord?

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

Made from 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.