Rejoice Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Rejoice in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: D – E – C#m – F#m
Rejoice sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIVEVC#miiiF#mvi
- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- F#mF# · A · C#
23 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hammock heartbeat
Long-short, long-short: the low notes sway like a hammock. Musicians call it root bass · 6/8 lilt (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 128 songs of the library.
Hammock heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · LullabyLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Tug-of-war chords
Four even chords stretched across a rocking bar: a gentle push and pull. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Tug-of-war chordsSyncopated chords · LullabyRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 96 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 – A
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DEA
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Rejoice?

The loop is D – E – C#m – F#m (IV – V – iii – vi) in A major, and the song ends on D – E – A.

What key is Rejoice in?

A major, at about 96 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in Rejoice?

Hammock heartbeat: root bass · 6/8 lilt, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Rejoice 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.