Piano chords · Waltz garden

How to play Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord) on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord) in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Ab – Ab7 – Db – Ddim
How it goes
Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord) sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb; Db is Db, F and Ab; Ddim is D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIAb7I7DbIVDdim#iv°
- AbAb · C · Eb
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- DbDb · F · Ab
- DdimD · F · Ab
2
Left hand: Waltz stride
How it goes
A deep bass, a chord above, then the octave: a leaping waltz. Musicians call it stride (3/4) (stride & boom-chick), a medium pattern heard in 215 songs of the library.
Waltz strideStride & boom-chick · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Sleepy waltz chords
How it goes
A long chord, then a double on beat 3: a lazy, rocking waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Sleepy waltz chordsSyncopated chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 70 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: Ab – Bbm – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbmAb
- BbmBb · Db · F

What chords are in Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord)?

The loop is Ab – Ab7 – Db – Ddim (I – I7 – IV – #ivo) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ab – Bbm – Ab.

What key is Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord) in?

Ab major, at about 70 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord)?

Waltz stride: stride (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord) 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 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.