Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Greensleeves on piano
By Traditional English Folksong
- E minor
- 3/4
- 100 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Greensleeves in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Em7 – Bm – D7 – G
How it goes
Greensleeves sits in E minor: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Em7 is E, G, B and D; Bm is B, D and F#; D7 is D, F#, A and C; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Em7i7BmvD7VII7GIII- Em7E · G · B · D
- BmB · D · F#
- D7D · F# · A · C
- GG · B · D
- 2
Left hand: Lullaby ripple
How it goes
Up to the top and rocking there in quick notes: a lullaby in three. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 92 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz push chords
How it goes
Chord, a push before beat 3, then the landing: a waltz with a nudge. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 100 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: C – D – Em
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDEm- CC · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
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Questions about Greensleeves
What chords are in Greensleeves?
The loop is Em7 – Bm – D7 – G (i7 – v – VII7 – III) in E minor, and the song ends on C – D – Em.
What key is Greensleeves in?
E minor, at about 100 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Greensleeves?
Lullaby ripple: broken chord 1-5-8-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Greensleeves easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Greensleeves?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.