How to play "Here On Our Knees"

Welcome to the Here On Our Knees piano tutorial. Oncemore Six’s song sits in F major at 140 BPM, and it’s a good one for learning how seventh chords change the feel of a worship song. We’ll go through it one step at a time, so keep the video above handy.

First, know what the song is for

The title tells you the posture: a church on its knees. This is a song of surrender, but at 140 BPM it moves, so it isn’t a slow ballad. Think of it as worship with a pulse. It can work as the song that carries a room from praise into worship, or as a response after the Word.

Before you play a note, listen to the full video once. Notice when the band is full and when it drops away. Those dynamics are half the job.

Your F major toolkit

F major has one flat, B♭. It’s easy on the hands, which leaves your brain free for voicings. Learn these as seventh chords from the start:

• 1: Fmaj7 (F, A, C, E)
• 2m: Gm7 (G, B♭, D, F)
• 3m: Am7 (A, C, E, G)
• 4: B♭maj7 (B♭, D, F, A)
• 5: C7 (C, E, G, B♭)
• 6m: Dm7 (D, F, A, C)

For the sound, a grand piano with a bit of room reverb is enough. If you have a second keyboard, a soft pad helps in the quieter parts.

If seventh chords are new to you, the Wikipedia page on seventh chords explains how they’re built.

Here On Our Knees piano tutorial: finding the progression

We haven’t added this song to our chart library yet, so I won’t give you a progression and pretend it’s exact. Instead, here’s the method I’d use with any song:

1. Play the video and find home. Hum the note that sounds like the end of the song. In this key, it should be F.
2. Follow the bass with your left hand. Each time it moves, try the chords from the list above until one fits.
3. Write what you find as numbers on a run sheet, section by section.
4. Check your work by playing along. If a chord sounds wrong, it probably is, so try the next one.

Our Ear Trainer speeds this up a lot. Ten minutes a day and you’ll hear numbers without thinking.

Making the chords sing

Right hand: four-note voicings, kept close together. Moving from Fmaj7 to Am7 only needs one note to change (F moves to G), so look for those small moves everywhere.

Left hand: octaves on the root. When the bass has room, add a short step into the next chord.

The gospel move: a sus turnaround on the 5. Play Csus4 (C, F, G), then C7 (C, E, G, B♭), then land on the 1. It builds just enough tension before you come home. You’ll hear this move in worship music everywhere, and it suits this song well.

Try it slowly in the Chord Voicing Lab first.

Moving to another key

If the leader wants it in E or G, your numbers still work. The sus turnaround always sits on the 5. Gig Mode shows you the letters in any key, so you can stay focused on the band.

Practice plan (20 minutes)

1. Play all six seventh chords in F, saying the numbers. (5 minutes)
2. Work out the verse by ear, left hand only. (5 minutes)
3. Do the same for the chorus. (5 minutes)
4. Add the Csus4 to C7 turnaround and play along at 140 with the Smart Metronome. (5 minutes)

FAQ

What key is Here On Our Knees in?

The tutorial is in F major, at about 140 BPM.

Do I need seventh chords?

You can play it with triads, but sevenths add a warmth that suits the song.

Another song in F to try next: Promise Keeper.