Piano Cover of "Ungu’Nkulukulu"

Ungu’Nkulukulu piano chords are simpler than the speed of the song suggests. Takie Ndou’s isiZulu praise song (the title means “You are God”) runs at 152 BPM, and in the video above I play it the way I’d play it with a band: tight, bright and built on a handful of shapes. Here’s how you can do the same.

A declaration, not a ballad

This is high-energy praise. It belongs at the top of a set or straight after the worship leader calls the church to its feet. At 152 BPM there’s no room for long pads or slow arpeggios. The keys need to be rhythmic, clear and confident, because every chord is a statement.

The trick at this tempo is to play less, but play it on time. A short chord on the beat does more than a big chord that’s late.

F♯ major, or G♭ if you prefer reading flats

Our chart writes the song in F♯ major. F♯ and G♭ are the same keys on the piano, so if your band reads it as G♭ that’s fine. In F♯ the main chords are:

• 1: F♯ (F♯, A♯, C♯)
• 3m: A♯m (A♯, C♯, E♯)
• 4: B (B, D♯, F♯)
• 5: C♯ (C♯, E♯, G♯)
• 6m: D♯m (D♯, F♯, A♯)
• 7dim: Fdim (E♯, G♯, B)

That E♯ is just the white key we normally call F. You’ll see the 7dim written as Fdim on the chart, and it’s the same three keys. Patch-wise, go for a bright piano with a little organ underneath if you have a second sound. Skip the heavy reverb; it smears at this speed.

Ungu’Nkulukulu piano chords, section by section

These come from our full chord chart for Ungu’Nkulukulu.

Verse

4 to 7dim to 1 to 4 to 5 to 1. In letters: B, Fdim, F♯, B, C♯, F♯. Notice that the verse starts on the 4, not the 1. That’s what gives it the feeling of already being in motion.

Chorus

3m to 4 to 7dim to 1, then 5 to 6m to 7dim to 1. In letters: A♯m, B, Fdim, F♯, C♯, D♯m, Fdim, F♯. The 7dim shows up twice, both times pushing straight into the 1. That leading pull is the sound of the song.

Playing it the way I do in the cover

Right hand: short stabs on the beat, triads in the middle of the keyboard. Keep F♯ voiced as A♯, C♯, F♯ so the root is on top and the melody can sit above it in the vocals.

Left hand: octaves on the root. At 152 BPM, a single octave on beats 1 and 3 is often enough. Add beats 2 and 4 only when the drummer opens up.

The move that lifts it: when you hit the 7dim, try voicing it as C♯/E♯ instead (E♯ in the bass, C♯ major on top). It’s the 5 chord over its third, a classic 5/7. It shares the same bass note as Fdim, so it slots into the same place, but it sounds stronger and more like a real dominant pulling home. Use it on the chorus and keep the plain diminished in the verse for contrast.

Moving it to another key

Fast praise songs often get moved to suit the leader on the day. If you know the song as 4, 7dim, 1, 4, 5, 1, the letters stop mattering. In G major, for example, the verse becomes C, F♯dim, G, C, D, G.

The Ungu’Nkulukulu chart lists the song in every key, and Gig Mode will transpose it on the spot. If numbers are new to you, the Nashville Number System page is a good place to start.

Fifteen minutes to get it ready

1. Play the six chords above slowly, hands separate, then together.
2. Drill the 7dim to 1 move (Fdim to F♯) until you can do it without thinking. It happens three times per pass.
3. Set a metronome at 110 and loop the chorus. Then push to 130, then 152.
4. Play along with the video above and match the stabs.

Players often ask

What key is Ungu’Nkulukulu in?

F♯ major, which is the same as G♭ major on the keyboard.

Is Ungu’Nkulukulu hard to play?

The chords are simple. The challenge is the tempo, so practise the stabs slowly first and build up.

For something slower in the same key family, try Igama Lenkosi next.