Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play When I Survey The Wondrous Cross on piano
By Lowell Mason
- F major
- 4/4
- 118 BPM
- I–IV–I–ii loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn When I Survey The Wondrous Cross in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Bb – F – Gm
How it goes
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIBbIVFIGmii- FF · A · C
- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
How it goes
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 118 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF- CC · E · G
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Questions about When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
What chords are in When I Survey The Wondrous Cross?
The loop is F – Bb – F – Gm (I – IV – I – ii) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.
What key is When I Survey The Wondrous Cross in?
F major, at about 118 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in When I Survey The Wondrous Cross?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is When I Survey The Wondrous Cross 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.