Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Simple Gifts on piano
By Traditional Shaker Hymn
- E major
- 4/4
- 116 BPM
- Medium
Learn Simple Gifts in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – A – B7 – A
Simple Gifts sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; A is A, C# and E; B7 is B, D#, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIAIVB7V7AIV- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Rolling waves
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 116 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE- BB · D# · F#
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Questions about Simple Gifts
What chords are in Simple Gifts?
The loop is E – A – B7 – A (I – IV – V7 – IV) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is Simple Gifts in?
E major, at about 116 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Simple Gifts?
Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Simple Gifts 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.