Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Mercy Tree on piano
Written by Michael William Neale & Krissy Nordhoff
- A major
- 3/4
- 72 BPM
- I–vi–IV–I loop
- 2012
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Mercy Tree in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: A – F#m – D – A
How it goes
Mercy Tree sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A is A, C# and E; F#m is F#, A and C#; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AIF#mviDIVAI- AA · C# · E
- F#mF# · A · C#
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Spinning-top pulse
How it goes
Six even low notes in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round. Musicians call it root bass · 3/4 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 87 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Sleepy waltz chords
How it goes
A long chord, then a double on beat 3: a lazy, rocking waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 72 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: F#m – D – A
How it goes
The last chords are vi – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
F#mDA
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Questions about Mercy Tree
What chords are in Mercy Tree?
The loop is A – F#m – D – A (I – vi – IV – I) in A major, and the song ends on F#m – D – A.
What key is Mercy Tree in?
A major, at about 72 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Mercy Tree?
Spinning-top pulse: root bass · 3/4 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Mercy Tree 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.