How to Play “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven” on Piano

A simple guide on how to play the hymn “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven” on the piano.

Introduction

“Praise My Soul the King of Heaven” is a popular Christian hymn written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1834. The hymn is often sung in churches as a way to praise God and give thanks for His many blessings. If you are a beginner piano player, this song is a great way to practice your skills and learn new chords. follow the instructions below to play “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven” on piano.

Verse 1

“Praise my soul the King of Heaven, to His feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, evermore His praises sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.”

To play this song on the piano, start by playing a C major chord. Then, play an F major chord. Next, play a G major chord. Finally, end on a C major chord.

Verse 2

In Verse 2, the left hand continues to play the chords from Verse 1 while the right hand plays a simple arpeggio pattern. The first two measures are shown below.

Praise my soul the King of Heaven,
To His feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me His praise should sing?
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Verse 3

There is a lot of sheet music available for “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.” You can find it online or at your local music store.

If you’re playing the piano, you’ll want to start with the left hand. The melody for verse 3 starts on middle C. Play the notes in order, and then hold the last note for two beats.

Your right hand will play chords on beats 2 and 4. Start with a C chord, and then move to an F chord. Next, play a G chord. Then, hold the C chord for two beats.

Verse 3:
Praise my soul, the King of heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring!
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven;
Who like me His praise should sing?
Alleluia! Alleluia!

Verse 4

Verse 4: “Praise my soul, the King of Heaven. To His feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restorèd, forgiven, Who like thee His praise should sing?”

To play this verse on piano, start by playing the chords for measures 9-10. These are the chords you will use for the entire verse: D, G, D/F#, Em. For measures 11-12, switch to playing D, A7, D. Then, for measures 13-14, go back to playing D, G, D/F#, Em. Finally, for measures 15-16, switch to playing G, D/F#, Em.

Verse 5

Praise my soul, the King of heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Nevermore thy sins shall rise;
Day or night Thy constant praise
Shall never cease, nor diem nor fade away.

Verse 6

In the sixth verse, we’ll be introducing a new melodic idea in the right hand. We’ll still be using the same chords in the left hand, but the right hand will be doing something a little different.

Here’s how the sixth verse goes:

Praise my soul the King of heaven
To His feet thy tribute bring
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven
Who like me His praise should sing
Praise Him ever all ye people
For His endless love I know
Praise Him ever all ye people
And let all that is within me praise His holy name

Verse 7

“Praise my soul the King of Heaven, to His feet thy tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, who like thee His praise should sing? Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise the everlasting King.”

Coda

The coda is one of the most important sections of “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.” It is your opportunity to really show off your skills and impress your audience. Make sure you practice this section thoroughly before your performance.

To play the coda, start by playing the first two measures of the piece. Then, play the following chord progression: C-F-G-C. After you play the C chord, hold down the sustain pedal so that the notes ring out. Then, play the F chord and hold it for two beats. Next, play the G chord and hold it for four beats. Finally, end with a C chord.