The Word Is Alive Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn The Word Is Alive in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: G – F – C – G
How it goes
The Word Is Alive sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GVFIVCIGV
- GG · B · D
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
92 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Hammock rocking
How it goes
Low, high, top, high in a long-short sway, like a swinging hammock. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (6/8) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 34 songs of the library.
Hammock rockingBroken chord · LullabyLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Cradle chordsSyncopated chords · LullabyRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 78 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC

What chords are in The Word Is Alive?

The loop is G – F – C – G (V – IV – I – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is The Word Is Alive in?

C major, at about 78 beats a minute in 6/8.

What does the left hand play in The Word Is Alive?

Hammock rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Word Is Alive 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.