Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Travelin' Prayer on piano
By Billy Joel
- D major
- 4/4
- 104 BPM
- I–IV–I–V loop
- 1971
- Tricky
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Travelin' Prayer in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – D – A
How it goes
Travelin' Prayer sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; G is G, B and D; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVDIAV- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- AA · C# · E
- 2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hailstones
How it goes
The top note rattles in very quick bursts, like hail on a window. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 104 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: D – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are I – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DAD
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Questions about Travelin' Prayer
What chords are in Travelin' Prayer?
The loop is D – G – D – A (I – IV – I – V) in D major, and the song ends on D – A – D.
What key is Travelin' Prayer in?
D major, at about 104 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Travelin' Prayer?
Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Travelin' Prayer easy to play on piano?
It is a tricky one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.