How to play "Great Are You Lord"
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Song by
Great Are You Lord
Original KeyA
BPM144
Time Sig3/4
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"Great Are You Lord" by All Sons & Daughters is one of the most covered worship songs of the last decade. It is congregational, simple by design, and every worship pianist needs it in the hands.
1. The key: A major
A major. Scale: A, Bm, C♯m, D, E, F♯m, G♯dim. The whole tune lives inside 1, 4, 5 and 6m.
2. The chord shape
Verse: 1 to 4 to 6m to 5, standard shape. Chorus: 4 to 1 to 5 to 6m to 4 to 1. The bridge ("you give life, you are love") sits on the 4 for a long time before returning through 5 to 1. Watch the All Sons & Daughters original for the phrasing.
3. The Sunday-ready play
- Right hand: open triads with the 5th on top. 1 as A, C♯, E.
- Left hand: quarter notes on the root, pulsing.
- One move to add: an Asus2 (A, B, E) held before every return to the 1. That sus2 is the whole feel of the song.
4. When the leader calls a different key
Congregations sing this everywhere. Numbers hold. Gig Mode transposes in one tap.
Next step
Follow with O A Ntwanela. Same A, similar four-chord DNA, Sesotho instead of English.
Song Chords Breakdown
Chord progression mapped to original song timeline.
Orig Key
Verse
You give life, You are loveYou bring light to the darknessYou give hope, You restore every heart that is broken
PreChorus
And great are You, Lord
Chorus
It’s Your breath in our lungsSo we pour out our praise, we pour out our praiseIt’s Your breath in our lungsSo we pour out our praise to You only
Verse
You give life, You are loveYou bring light to the darknessYou give hope, You restore (You restore)Every heart that is brokenAnd great are You, Lord
Bridge
All the earth will shout Your praiseOur hearts will cry, these bones will singGreat are You, Lord
