Piano chords · Bossa beach
How to play We Need Jesus on piano
Written by John Elefante, Dino Elefante & others
- D major
- 4/4
- 100 BPM
- 1991
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn We Need Jesus in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – G – Em – C
How it goes
We Need Jesus 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; Em is E, G and B; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIGIVEmiiCbVII- DD · F# · A
- GG · B · D
- EmE · G · B
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Bossa sway
How it goes
Long-short, long-short, leaning ahead: a gentle Brazilian sway. Musicians call it root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Double island chords
How it goes
The island rhythm squeezed in twice per bar: quick and dancy. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- AA · C# · E
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Questions about We Need Jesus
What chords are in We Need Jesus?
The loop is D – G – Em – C (I – IV – ii – bVII) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is We Need Jesus in?
D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in We Need Jesus?
Bossa sway: root bass · bossa (1 · 2& · 3 · 4&), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is We Need Jesus 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 one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.