Piano Cover of "The Only Name"

The Only Name piano chords are a step up from the usual four-chord worship song, and that’s exactly why I love playing this Mmuso Worship song. It’s in B major at 97 BPM, it has a post-chorus that climbs through some proper gospel harmony, and once it’s under your hands it’ll teach you things you’ll use in every other song.

What kind of song this is

The Only Name is a declaration. At 97 BPM it moves, but it isn’t a jump-and-shout praise song. It fits well in the middle of a set, as the song that turns the room’s attention to the name of Jesus before going deeper.

The verses and choruses are friendly. The post-chorus is where the keys player earns their place, so most of this post is about getting that section right.

Five sharps, no panic: B major

B major has five sharps, which scares a lot of players off. Don’t let it. On the piano, B sits beautifully under the hand. Here are the numbers from our chart:

• 1: B
• 2m: C♯m
• 3m: D♯m
• 4: E
• 5: F♯
• 6m: G♯m
• 7dim: A♯dim

For sound, a clear grand piano with a pad underneath works. Keep the pad subtle in the verses and bring it up for the post-chorus.

The Only Name piano chords, section by section

This comes straight from our full chord chart for The Only Name:

• Verse: 1, 5, 4, 1 (B, F♯, E, B)
• Pre-chorus: 1, 6m, 5, 4, 1 (B, G♯m, F♯, E, B)
• Chorus: 5, 6m, 2m, 4, 1 (F♯, G♯m, C♯m, E, B)
• Bridge: 1, 6m, 5, 2m, 1 (B, G♯m, F♯, C♯m, B)
• Post-chorus: 6m, 7dim, 1, 4, 3m, 7dim, 2m, 5, 1 (G♯m, A♯dim, B, E, D♯m, A♯dim, C♯m, F♯, B)

Notice how the chorus starts on the 5 instead of the 1. That gives it lift. And look at the post-chorus: the A♯dim shows up twice, each time pulling the harmony up to the next chord. That’s the heart of the song.

Playing the post-chorus with confidence

• Right hand: four-note voicings help here. Try G♯m7 (G♯, B, D♯, F♯), and play the 7dim as a full A♯dim7 (A♯, C♯, E, G). The full diminished seventh has more pull than the triad.
• Left hand: follow the roots, and let the bass climb. G♯ to A♯ to B is a stepwise walk up, and your left hand should make that obvious.
• The second dim: after D♯m, the A♯dim leads into C♯m. Keep C♯ and E in your right hand through both chords. They’re shared notes, so the change sounds smooth instead of jumpy.
• The ending: C♯m to F♯ to B is a classic 2, 5, 1. Make the F♯ an F♯7 (F♯, A♯, C♯, E) to give the landing more weight.

Build and compare these shapes in the Chord Voicing Lab.

When B is too high

Plenty of leaders take this down. In A, the post-chorus becomes F♯m, G♯dim, A, D, C♯m, G♯dim, Bm, E, A. In B♭, it’s Gm, Adim, B♭, E♭, Dm, Adim, Cm, F, B♭. The numbers don’t change, so if you learn the post-chorus as 6m, 7dim, 1, 4, 3m, 7dim, 2m, 5, 1, you can play it anywhere.

Our chart page has a table of the song in every key, and Gig Mode will give you the letters on the day.

Twenty minutes to get it Sunday-ready

1. Play the verse, pre-chorus and chorus as triads in B. Five minutes.
2. Loop the post-chorus slowly, left hand only, until the bass walk feels natural. Five minutes.
3. Add the right-hand voicings with the A♯dim7 and F♯7. Five minutes.
4. Play with the video at 97 BPM. Five minutes.

FAQ

What key is The Only Name in?

B major, at 97 BPM.

What’s the hardest part to play?

The post-chorus, because of the two diminished chords. Learn it in numbers first, then in letters.

If you like this one, try Zion, another Mmuso Worship song with rich voicings.