So Will I Chords

Guitar and Piano Tutorial for "So Will I" by 7th Heaven

This song sits comfortably in the key of A major. The standard chord set is A, F#m, D, and E. I've transcribed it from listening because most online chord charts get the bridge wrong or rush through the transitions without mentioning the actual strumming pattern. What you're dealing with here is a 12/8 gospel ballad feel at roughly 68 beats per minute. That matters because a straight 4/4 strum will sound completely stiff. You need to play it with a swung eighth-note triplet pulse. The verse progression runs A | F#m | D | E | and repeats. The chorus doubles back slightly, landing on A | E | F#m | D | before hitting the final A. If you're playing piano, the left hand should mostly outline root movements on the beat with occasional passing tones, while the right hand plays fuller triads or slash chords depending on the arrangement layer. Guitar players typically fingerpick or use a hybrid pick-finger approach to preserve the groove.

Practical So Will I Chords Breakdown

Here's how the sections actually break down when you sit down with the record: Intro: A5 (no fretted third) followed by D/A into the full A chord. This is the opening riff on the record. Don't skip the D/A bass movement. It sets the harmonic direction for the entire song. Verse 1: A – F#m – D – E, two bars each. The F#m is easiest played as F#m7 if you want that warmer, less dramatic sound that matches the studio version.

Chorus: A – E – F#m – D – A, again two bars per chord. The E chord here is where most people mess up. On guitar, use Eadd9 (022100) instead of a plain open E. The D note on the first string adds the color that the original track relies on. Piano players: voice the E as E/G or E/B to keep the bass descending smoothly into the F#m. Bridge: Bm – F#m – D – E – A. This is the section people get wrong. The Bm is a minor plugging into the relative minor area, and it needs to feel resolved, not jarring. If you're strumming aggressively, it will clash with the D chord that follows. Play it lighter, and let the D hang a moment before moving to E. Final Chorus Tag: Same as the chorus but the last bar often extends to a held A with a Gbass walkdown if your arrangement calls for it. This is optional and depends on whether you're following the studio recording or adapting it for congregation singing.

I ran into a real issue once when a church worship leader asked me to figure this out for their band and they were using a drum loop in 4/4 time. The 12/8 feel completely fell apart against that. My workaround was to suggest they either switch to a brush pattern that implies triplets or lay off the loop entirely during the bridge. It's not a subtle problem — the groove is the foundation of this song. Without it, the chords are just competent but lifeless. Piano-specific voicings: A: A–C#–E (open voicing with Cin the bass on the verse transitions)

F#m: F#–A–C#–E (the added 7th is essential here, not optional) D: D–F#–A (keep it clean, don't add unnecessary extensions) E: E–G#–B–D(the major 7th or add9 works better than a plain triad in this context)

Bm: B–D–F#–A (minor 7th, same warmth principle as the F#m) Guitar fingerings (standard tuning): A: x02220

F#m: 2x4422 (or the simpler 244xx2 if you need faster transitions) D: xx0232 E: 022100 (add9 for the chorus, as mentioned)

Bm: x24432 (full barre) or xx4430 (partial, easier for live performance) One counter-intuitive thing about this song that beginners miss: the song sounds more complete when you leave space between chords rather than filling every beat with strums or arpeggios. The original recording by 7th Heaven is sparse. The emotional weight comes from the harmonic movement, not from busy playing. Over-strumming this will make it sound generic worship-pop instead of what it actually is. Another nuance worth noting: the dynamic arc matters more than anything else. The verse should be near-whisper level. The chorus lifts, but not dramatically — maybe a mezzo-piano to mezzo-forte maximum. The bridge is where you push slightly harder, then pull back hard for the final chorus. If you play everything at the same volume, the song loses its narrative shape. I've seen this go wrong at live events constantly.

If you want a printable reference, you can find a clean PDF of the full chord chart and lyric sheet on several worship chord repositories online. Search for the 7th Heaven So Will I chords PDF and grab whichever version matches your preferred key. Most people sing it in A or G. If G works better for your vocalist, transpose everything down a whole step: G – Em – C – D for the verse and chorus, with F#m becoming Em in the bridge section. The main limitation of learning this song from tabs alone is that the tablature won't teach you the feel. The 12/8 triplet pulse, the dynamics, the spaces between chords — those all come from listening. Spend at least twenty minutes just playing along with the original track before you worry about memorizing the chord sequence. Your muscle memory will lock in faster and more accurately than if you try to learn it blind.