Laura Story - Blessings Piano Chords

Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Laura Story is known for writing catchy, pop-infused worship songs that ooze warmth and inspiration. Not to mention that the piano sheet music are always easy to play. The Piano chords are always easy to follow along. Thus making it a great set chords to learn for group worship singing. This is especially true in the case of her 2012 Grammy Award-winning single "Blessings." The tale that inspired Story to right the song was anything but upbeat, however.

In 2006, Story and her new husband were living every newlywed's dream. Both had promising careers, and they were very much in love. Then, tragedy. Her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This led to hospitalization and surgery. She prayed relentlessly for recovery, as he struggled through vision loss and trouble remembering the things he once knew.

In "Blessings," Story offers a powerful message of faith even through the hardest times. The song encourages listeners to see the blessings in His Will even when it doesn't seem your prayers are being answered. It speaks of something greater than all of us. The song serves as an encouragement to anyone who is struggling. The answer lies in keeping faith in a God that is great and trusting in His knowledge of the future.

These are the lessons that Story learned through her husband's illness, treatment and recovery. The inspiration behind the song may have been very personal to its writer, but the song itself offers universal truths. Its message is much needed in the world today, and offers encouragement when there is little hope to be found.

Laura Story, otherwise known as Laura Mixon Story Elvington, is a Christian music songwriter from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her career began when she met Shane Williams of Silers Bald at Columbia University in 1996. She joined the band and became their bass player.

Her Own Path

Laura had released four independent albums with Silers Bald, and the band was about to sign a deal with Essential Records when her manager suggested that she might give recording solo a try. Her previous albums include Indescribable (2002), There Is Nothing (2005) and Great God Who Saves (2008), which ranked 25 on the Billboard Christian Albums. She was nominated for the Dove Award for Female Vocalist in 2010.

Bearing Crosses and Blessings

Laura Story married her husband, Martin Elvington in 2008. In 2011, Martin was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Blessings, her fourth album, and according to Laura, it "is just a bunch of songs about worshiping when life is hard." The Blessings single of the same name made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart.

At present, "God of Every Story," which is her third studio album has just been completed. It will be released on September 30 and is available for pre-sale.

Themes of the Song and Sheet Music

Grammy Award winner and multiple GMA Dove Award winner Laura Story's 2012 song 'Blessings' follows the style of a gentle, yet stirring piano-based ballad. The song that gave Laura Story her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song is written in the key of Bb Major although most available recordings are in the scale of B Major.

Construction

In the key of B Major, the song follows a standard four-chord progression of the root, third, perfect fifth and natural minor. As with most songs written for piano, the song uses the natural minor G# minor and its seventh while adding the interesting use of D# minor and C#minor 7. The phrase "And what if the trials of this life..."is accentuated through the subtle use of a Bmajor 7 chord with a D# bass. The E major and F# major chords are also suspended when necessary.

The song reflects a person's poignant observations about the nature of pain and sorrow in this life and a longing for a life with God.

Themes

The song lends itself to be divided into two distinct sections. The first section -- comprising the first two verses -- addresses the human plea to God for blessings, peace, joy, wisdom, safety and the human longing experience God's love in a deeply personal way. The second section addresses the sadness and feelings of disappointment are channels of God's blessing and are indicative of the thirst for a better world, and the true experience of divine grace. The song's chorus is written in the style of rhetorical questioning addressed to God: "And what if the trials of this life...are your mercies in disguise?" Laura Story deals with the themes of experiencing this life from the viewpoint and expectation of a life to come. In doing so, she underlines the tender, deeply personal nature of a person's relationship with God.