Piano Cover of "You Are"

HLE’s vocal harmonies are what people remember about this song, so the trick with the You Are piano chords is giving those voices a solid, quiet floor to stand on. It’s South African contemporary worship in A major, and here’s how I play it so the singers stay in front and the keys hold everything together.

Playing for the voices

You Are is a worship song where the vocal blend is the main event. That changes how you play. Instead of filling every bar, you’re there to give the harmonies a clear key centre and a steady pulse. If the singers can hear their notes against your chords, you’ve done your job.

It fits naturally in the worship part of a set, after the praise, when the leader wants the church to reflect on who God is.

The key of A and how to set up

We play it in A major. These are the chords you’ll want ready:

• 1: A
• 2m: Bm
• 3m: C♯m
• 4: D
• 5: E
• 6m: F♯m

A is a comfortable key for most worship singers and an easy one on the keys. For the patch, keep it simple: a clean piano with a soft pad underneath. Avoid anything bright or busy that competes with the voices in the mid range.

Figuring out the You Are piano chords

We don’t have our own full chart for You Are yet, so I won’t give you a progression I can’t back up. What you can expect in A major is the usual worship family: the 1, 4, 5 and 6m, with the minor chords (C♯m, F♯m, Bm) adding warmth. Songs built around vocal harmony often use those minor chords to let the voices move, so listen carefully for them in the video.

Here’s how I’d map it: listen once for the bass only, then play along and name each bass note as a number. If you’re unsure whether a chord is major or minor, sing the third over it. Your ear will tell you quickly.

Voicings that keep the harmony clear

• Right hand: clean triads, with the top note doubled an octave up when the song gets fuller. Keep your hand out of the range where the singers are blending.
• Left hand: a calm root, fifth, root pattern. For A, that’s A, E, A.
• Minor 7ths for warmth: play C♯m as C♯m7 (C♯, E, G♯, B) and F♯m as F♯m7 (F♯, A, C♯, E). They soften the sound and sit nicely under close harmony.
• The 5/7: use E/G♯ to step the bass from A down to F♯m. It’s a small move with a big effect on how smooth the song feels.

Hear these in context with the Chord Voicing Lab. If minor sevenths are new to you, this page on minor seventh chords covers the basics.

Following a new key

Vocal groups adjust keys to suit whoever leads. In G, your 1, 4, 5 and 6m become G, C, D and Em, and the 3m is Bm. In B♭, they’re B♭, E♭, F and Gm, with Dm as the 3m. If you know the song in numbers, you’ll move with them without a hitch.

Load the song into Gig Mode before the service, so a key change on the day doesn’t catch you out.

A 20-minute plan

1. Play A, D, E, F♯m, C♯m and Bm as triads, then as m7 chords where minor. Five minutes.
2. Practise the A, E/G♯, F♯m step-down in the left hand. Five minutes.
3. Map the verse and chorus in numbers with the video. Five minutes.
4. Play along with the video, keeping your dynamic under the singers. Five minutes.

FAQ

What key is You Are by HLE in?

The version we play is in A major.

What should the piano do in a harmony-heavy song?

Hold a clear key centre, play steady and simple, and stay out of the singers’ range.

Is You Are hard to play?

No. The chords are friendly. The skill is restraint and listening.

For a slower song in the same key, play Your Glory (Have Your Way) by Ntokozo Mbambo next.