Piano Cover of "Eya Le Amen"

Eya Le Amen piano chords climb, and once you feel that climb in your hands, the song plays itself. Dr Tumi’s Sesotho worship song sits at 112 BPM in E major, and it’s built on a stepwise rise that lifts the congregation one chord at a time. Here’s how I play it, and how you can bring that lift to your church.

A song that rises with the room

Eya Le Amen is worship with momentum. It’s not a slow altar song, but it’s not a party either. At 112 BPM it moves steadily forward, which makes it a strong choice for the turn from praise into worship, when the leader wants the room to keep singing while the mood deepens.

Everything about the song goes up: the verse rises, the chorus walks up the whole scale. Your playing should feel like that too. Start the song a bit lighter than you think and save your full sound for the last chorus.

The key of E and a good patch

Our chart has the song in E major. Four sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯. Here’s what each number means in this key:

• 1 = E
• 2m = F♯m
• 3m = G♯m
• 4 = A
• 5 = B
• 6m = C♯m

I like a warm grand with a little reverb for this one. If your band has a guitarist playing rhythm, keep your patch slightly darker so you’re not fighting for the same space.

Eya Le Amen piano chords, section by section

These come straight from our full chord chart for Eya Le Amen:

• Verse: 1, 3m, 5, 1 (E, G♯m, B, E)
• Pre-chorus: 4, 6m, 5 (A, C♯m, B)
• Chorus: 1, 2m, 3m, 4, 5, 1 (E, F♯m, G♯m, A, B, E)
• Bridge: 1, 2m, 3m, 4, 5, 1 (same as the chorus)

The verse skips upward through the 3m to the 5, then drops home. The pre-chorus parks on the 4 and 6m before the 5 sets up the chorus. And the chorus is the payoff: a straight walk up the scale from 1 to 5 and back to 1. Simple on paper, but it’s exactly what makes the room lift. The bridge uses the same climb, so treat it as a chance to change the texture rather than the chords.

Playing the climb so it sings

• Right hand: keep one hand shape and slide it up. E (E, G♯, B), F♯m (F♯, A, C♯), G♯m (G♯, B, D♯), A (A, C♯, E), B (B, D♯, F♯). Listen to the top note as a melody of its own.
• Left hand: root octaves that step up with the chords: E, F♯, G♯, A, B. The bass line is the climb, so make it clear.
• In the pre-chorus: try Bsus4 (B, E, F♯) before the B, so the chorus arrival feels earned.

One gospel move that lifts the chorus: between the 1 and the 2m, add a ♯1 diminished chord, E♯dim (E♯, G♯, B). The bass goes E, E♯, F♯, a chromatic step that makes the climb feel even more like stairs. It’s a classic passing chord, so use it on the repeats rather than the first time through.

Moving it for the leader

Choirs and leaders move keys all the time, and this song travels well because the climb is the same in any key. Learn it in numbers. Our chart page has an every-key table, so if the call is E♭ or F, just read across. On Sunday, keep Gig Mode open for the letters.

Practise it in 15 minutes

1. Four minutes: play the chorus climb slowly with one hand shape, both hands.
2. Four minutes: add the verse and pre-chorus, saying the numbers out loud.
3. Four minutes: put the E♯dim passing chord into the chorus and the Bsus4 into the pre-chorus.
4. Three minutes: play the whole song at 112 BPM with the Smart Metronome.

Short answers

What key is Eya Le Amen in?

Our chart has it in E major at 112 BPM.

Is Eya Le Amen good for beginner keyboard players?

Yes. The chorus is just the scale chords in order, which makes it a great song for learning numbers.

For another climbing chorus, try Imiqhele by Tshwane Gospel Choir, which uses a very similar walk-up in F.