Understand Jesus’ sacrifice more deeply by playing Nothing But the Blood Chords on piano or guitar! These Nothing But the Blood chord charts come in 5 different keys that are great for a variety of vocal ranges. Use them for a Good Friday service, personal worship, or whatever you would like.
Nothing But the Blood has simple chords and a simple melody, but that doesn’t stop it from being an awesome hymn.
The lyrics focus on the only thing that can atone for our sins: Jesus’ blood and sacrifice.
Each verse goes through different things that his sacrifice has accomplished for us: Washing away our sin, pardoning & cleansing us, atoning us without our own works, and giving us hope and peace.
As you can see, this hymn works particularly well for a Good Friday or Easter service—but really, we can be reminded of Jesus’ sacrifice at any time of year!
Ready to play this hymn? Keep reading for tips and information on different versions of this hymn, or scroll to the bottom for chord charts (on site & PDF).
Nothing But the Blood Chords & Arrangements
In its original form in the hymnal, Nothing But the Blood is really quite simple. In fact, it literally only uses 2 chords the entire time: G major and D major!
More modern versions often add more chords—mainly the vii chord and IV chord—to change it up a bit. The 2 chords over and over again do tend to get dull by the time you get to the third and fourth verse.
In my chord charts, I wanted to pay a little tribute to the original, so I kept the classic V – I (five chord to one chord) combination in a variety of places.
The Form
The first verse in my arrangement sticks to the classic V – I combo I just talked about.
Verses 2, 3, and 4, on the other hand, add some extra chords. These three verses are exactly the same except verse 3 takes out one of the V chords to allow for extra expression and space (I find doing this verse more reflectively is very pretty!)
The chorus also uses a combination of the I, IV, V, and vii chords.
Other Versions
There are LOTS of other versions where people get creative with Nothing But the Blood! In fact, there is a variety of ways you can arrange this hymn, both in chords but also in rhythm and speed.
It can be done upbeat or reflective, loud or soft. Some popular versions include the one by Matt Redman and the one by Norton Hall Band.
Tips for Playing Nothing But the Blood
Playing from a chord chart requires improvisation. Here are some tips for different instruments!
On piano
For the piano, the easiest way to start is by doing the chord in the right hand and the base note of the chord in the left hand. But that is seriously just the beginning! You can also do a pattern of the chord root, chord 5th, and root again in the left hand.
You can do fills in the right hand and improvise with scales and inversions. The options are limitless!
On Guitar Or Ukulele
There are a variety of strum patterns you can use to Nothing But the Blood. I recommend listening to some of the versions mentioned above to get a feel for what you like!
Nothing but the blood chord charts
Without further ado, let’s get to all the chord charts! You can view each chart online by using the photos below, or download a PDF with all 5 keys (scroll to the bottom to download).
Key of C Major
First up, we have a chart in C major. This is a great low key to do for Nothing But the Blood. Since the melody of this hymn stays around just 5 notes, there is nothing crazy low or crazy high.
Chords used: C major, F major, G major, A minor
Key of D Major
D major is nice because its not quite as low as C. The chords are still very easy in D, just like in C.
Chords used: D major, G major, A major, B minor
Key of E Major
I would say E Major is one of the more popular keys to do Nothing But the Blood in! We use this key often in our church. It is right in between the original key and the lower keys.
Chords used: E Major, A major, B major, C# minor
Key of F Major
Nothing But the Blood in F major is very pretty. F is a more mellow key, being a flat key rather than a sharp key. I love it in this key!
Chords used: F major, Bb Major, C major, D minor
Key of G Major
I had to include the original key in the charts! G is definitely higher than the previous 4, but it still isn’t crazy high. And the chords are super easy!
Chords used: G major, C major, D major, E minor
Download Chord Charts
Ready to print out these chord charts to use for personal worship or Sunday service?
Just click the button below and you’ll get a PDF with the charts in all 5 keys. I hope this is helpful!
More Worship Resources
If you like the above charts, make sure you check out the other hymns I’ve made charts for too!
I also have lots of piano sheet music too!
Conclusion
Nothing But the Blood chords are super simple, even if you are a beginning pianist or guitarist! These chord charts only use 4 easy chords, and you can choose from a variety of different keys depending on your level. I pray that they help you draw near to your savior, whether you use them for the congregation or personal worship!