A free piano arrangement of It Is Well, designed for beginner and intermediate pianists. This It Is Well With My Soul sheet music is FREE to download in PDF form, with multiple levels and keys!
Keep reading for the history and practice tips, or scroll down for the sheet music download buttons.
History of It Is Well
It is Well With My Soul must be one of the most beloved and well-known hymns of all time—and for good reason. This song was written from a place of such deep understanding of God’s grace in heartbreaking situations.
Horatio Spafford penned the lyrics to It Is Well after he found out his 4 daughters had died in a tragic boat accident after he had sent them on a much-needed vacation.
When he set sail to be with his grieving wife, the captain of the ship told him when he reached the spot where his daughters had died. That is when he began writing the first verse.
This hymn was brought forth out of a terrible tragedy, and it reminds us that we can experience God’s peace and grace no matter what life throws at us.
You can read more about the story behind It Is Well here.
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How Do you play it is well on piano?
If you want to try your hand at playing It Is Well on the piano, you’ve come to the right place!
Traditionally, this song is played with block chords and harmony, like most hymns. However, there is lots of freedom to improvise, add more chords, and change things up from the original!
Farther down in this post you’ll find a PDF with 2 different versions. The easy version has a simple melody in the right hand with either chords or single notes in the left hand.
The intermediate version adds more harmony, and a flowier left hand.
The Key
While It is Well can be played in a wide variety of keys, I’ve chosen 2 easy and popular keys for this sheet music: C Major and F major.
The C Major version is best for beginners as it has no sharps or flats. However, F is also a popular key to play It Is Well in, and it has just 1 flat. It will also sound higher in F than in C.
The Notes
The notes for It Is Well will depend upon the key you choose.
If you choose the key of C, you’ll need to know all the notes in the C scale (C, D, E, F, G, A, and B) along with one added accidental: F#.
If you choose the key of F, you’ll need to know all the notes in the F scale (F, G, A, Bb, C, D, and E) plus B natural.
The Chords
The chords for It Is Well are pretty simple, but I just couldn’t go TOO simple or I didn’t feel like it would do this beautiful hymn justice!
For the C version, here are the chords you’ll need to know (or the chords you’ll learn as you go): C Major, D Major, D minor, F Major, G major, G7, and A minor.
For the F version, here are the chords you’ll need to know (or the chords you’ll learn as you go): F Major, G major, G minor, Bb Major, C major, C7, and B minor.
Extra Tips for Playing It Is Well
- When you’re learning this sheet music on the piano, make sure to follow my practice tips! Start by practicing hands separately, then slowly put them together. Don’t go too fast as you get started!
- Once you’re comfortable with the notes, you can definitely try adding the sustain pedal! This song sounds beautiful with pedal.
- Don’t just play this song like a robot. I know that sounds funny, but I see piano students do it all the time. This hymn is emotional; you read the story above. Make sure to feel that and let it come across in your playing!
More Sheet Music:
- How Great Thou Art Sheet Music
- Be Thou My Vision Sheet Music OR chords
- Come Thou Fount Sheet Music OR Chords
- Nothing But the Blood Chord Charts
- Jesus Paid it All Chord Charts
It Is Well With My Soul Piano Sheet Music PDF
Are you ready to download the piano sheet music for It Is Well? Let’s get right into it! There are two ways you can view the music. There are images here on the blog that you can view directly if you don’t have access to a printer. Or, scroll to the bottom for the download button.
Easy Version
Like I mentioned earlier, the easy version has the simple melody in the right hand and chords or single notes in the left hand. It doesn’t move around too much.
Intermediate Version
On the other hand, the intermediate version has a trickier left hand, along with some chords and invervals in the right hand to make it sound richer. I hope you enjoy!
To download ALL of the images you saw above as one PDF, simply click the button below. You can print out whichever version you would prefer to use.
Conclusion
It Is Well With My Soul is a hymn that has certainly left a legacy of how to trust God in troubling times. The beautiful melody and well-written lyrics make it a great hymn not only for piano but also for personal worship. I hope you enjoy the sheet music. Make sure to share it with others so more people can play this hymn on the piano!