Piano Cover of "Adonai"

Let’s get your Adonai piano chords ready for Sunday. Nathaniel Bassey is known for worship that takes its time, and Adonai, a Hebrew name for God meaning “my Lord”, is a song that asks the keys to be patient. I play it in E♭, and here’s what I’d want you to know before you sit down at the board.

Why this one needs a patient player

Adonai is a song of reverence. It works best in the part of the service where the church has stopped rushing, maybe just before the Word or during a long stretch of worship when the leader keeps going round. It’s not a song to decorate. It’s a song to hold up.

That means every chord you play is heard. Fewer notes, voiced well and sustained properly, will always beat a flurry of runs here.

The key of E♭ and a good patch

The version in our video is in E♭ major, three flats. These are the numbers to have under your fingers:

• 1: E♭
• 2m: Fm
• 4: A♭
• 5: B♭
• 6m: Cm

E♭ has a rich, round sound on the piano, and it’s comfortable for a lot of worship leaders. I’d go with a warm grand and a slow-attack pad tucked underneath. If your keyboard allows it, put the pad on a volume pedal so you can swell it in when the song opens up.

Finding the Adonai piano chords yourself

We don’t have our own full chart for Adonai yet, so I’m not going to write a progression and pretend it’s from the source. What I can tell you is the family the song lives in: in E♭, expect the 1, 4 and 5 to carry most of it, with the 6m (Cm) adding depth and the 2m (Fm) easing the way back to the 5. Use the video above. Count how long each chord holds and write the numbers down as you go.

If you’re still building your ear, a few minutes on the Ear Trainer practising 1 to 6m and 4 to 5 movements will help you hear the changes faster.

What I’d play on the day

• Right hand: maj7 voicings on the 1 and 4. E♭maj7 is E♭, G, B♭, D. A♭maj7 is A♭, C, E♭, G. They sound full without being heavy.
• Left hand: whole notes. Change octaves slowly, and don’t move unless the harmony does.
• The suspension: before resolving to the 1, hold B♭sus4 (B♭, E♭, F) for a full bar, then let it fall to B♭. A suspended chord held this long creates real expectation in the room.
• A 2m with colour: play the 2m as Fm9 (F, A♭, C, E♭, G). It glows, and it leads naturally into that B♭sus4.

Try these in the Chord Voicing Lab to find the spacing that suits your hands.

Leader wants a different key?

Songs like this travel to whatever key suits the person leading. Down a whole step to D♭, your 1, 4, 5 and 6m become D♭, G♭, A♭ and B♭m. Up to E, they become E, A, B and C♯m. If you think in numbers, the voicings above move with you.

Save it in Gig Mode so the letters change on screen when the key does.

Fifteen minutes before rehearsal

1. Play E♭maj7, A♭maj7, B♭ and Cm as slow, held chords. Five minutes.
2. Practise Fm9 to B♭sus4 to B♭ to E♭maj7 until it’s smooth. Five minutes.
3. Play along with the video using only whole notes in the left hand. Five minutes.

FAQ

What key is Adonai by Nathaniel Bassey in?

The version in our video is in E♭ major, with E♭, A♭, B♭ and Cm as the main chords.

What does Adonai mean?

It’s Hebrew for “my Lord”, one of the names used for God in the Bible.

Is Adonai hard to play?

Not technically. The challenge is control: soft dynamics, long sustains and resisting the urge to fill.

Want more in this style? Look through our worship song charts for your next slow song.