Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play Personal Jesus on piano
Written by Martin Gore
- F# minor
- 12/8
- 160 BPM
- 1989
- Easy
Learn Personal Jesus in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F#m – Bm – A – G#
Personal Jesus sits in F# minor: F# is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F#m is F#, A and C#; Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; G# is G#, B# and D#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F#miBmivAIIIG#II- F#mF# · A · C#
- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- G#G# · B# · D#
- 2
Left hand: Rocking chair
Low, high, low, high, slow and swaying, like a rocking chair. Musicians call it rocking octaves (12/8) (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in 29 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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: D – E – F#m
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEF#m- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
Play next
Questions about Personal Jesus
What chords are in Personal Jesus?
The loop is F#m – Bm – A – G# (i – iv – bIII5 – II5) in F# minor, and the song ends on D – E – F#m.
What key is Personal Jesus in?
F# minor, at about 160 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in Personal Jesus?
Rocking chair: rocking octaves (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Personal Jesus easy to play on piano?
Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.