Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play We Are The World on piano
By USA For Africa
- A major
- 4/4
- 64 BPM
- 1985
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn We Are The World in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – E – A – C#m – F#m – C#m – C#m7
How it goes
We Are The World sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 7 chords: D is D, F# and A; E is E, G# and B; A is A, C# and E; C#m is C#, E and G#; F#m is F#, A and C#; C#m7 is C#, E, G# and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIVEVAIC#miiiF#mviC#miiiC#m7iii7- DD · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- AA · C# · E
- C#mC# · E · G#
- F#mF# · A · C#
- C#m7C# · E · G# · B
- 2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 64 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: A – G – A
How it goes
The last chords are I – bVII – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AGA- GG · B · D
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Questions about We Are The World
What chords are in We Are The World?
The loop is D – E – A – C#m – F#m – C#m – C#m7 (IV – V – I – iii – vi – iii – iii7) in A major, and the song ends on A – G – A.
What key is We Are The World in?
A major, at about 64 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in We Are The World?
Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is We Are The World easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 7 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of We Are The World?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.