The library · Gospel & spirituals
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Traditional spiritual
The spiritual sung in chorus all over the world, here in 6/8: a phrase repeated almost unchanged, to feel a lilting two-beat bar.
D major · 6/8 · 181 beats per minute · 15 bars · 16 s · intermediate level
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
Pickup A B A' Coda
| Section | Bars | Chords | Phrase ending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickup | 0–0 | F♯m/A iii |
— |
| A | 1–4 | D · Em · D/F♯ · G · F♯m · Em · D6 I · ii · I · IV · iii · ii · I6 |
— |
| B | 5–8 | A7/C♯ · G/D · C♯m/E · Em/G · A/E · Bm/D · A/C♯ · Em V7 · IV · vii · ii · V · vi · V · ii |
— |
| A' | 9–12 | D · Am/E · Bm/D · Am/C · G/B · B7/D♯ · F♯sus4 · E♭dim7 I · v · vi · v · IV · V7/ii · IIIsus4 · ♭ii°7 |
— |
| Coda | 13–15 | A/E · C♯m7♭5 · Asus4/D · B♭/D · Dsus4 V · viiø7 · Vsus4 · ♭VI · Isus4 |
— |
The key
- D major
- 2 sharps in the key signature: F♯, C♯
- Scale
- D · E · F♯ · G · A · B · C♯
- Pillar chords
- I = D · IV = G · V7 = A7
The tricky passages
- Bar 7: fast runs (6.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (minor sixth)
- Bars 11–12: fast runs (6.0 notes per second), a melodic leap (perfect fifth), notes outside the key
The plan: 11 days
Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.
More pieces from the library
- When the Saints Go Marching In · Traditional spiritual
- Swing Low, Sweet Chariot · Traditional spiritual
- Go Down, Moses · Traditional spiritual
- Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho · Traditional spiritual
- Amazing Grace · Traditional American melody
- Au clair de la lune · Traditional French song