Mud On The Tires Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Mud On The Tires in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: D – A – Bm – D
How it goes
Mud On The Tires sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIAVBmviDI
- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
58 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Drop-and-stay
How it goes
A long high root, then the lower note twice: calm and settled. Musicians call it broken chord 8-5-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 87 songs of the library.
Drop-and-stayBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Woodpecker taps
How it goes
A chord, then a high note tapping again and again like a woodpecker. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Woodpecker tapsTwo-note ostinato · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 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: Em – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EmAD
- EmE · G · B

What chords are in Mud On The Tires?

The loop is D – A – Bm – D (I – V – vi – I) in D major, and the song ends on Em – A – D.

What key is Mud On The Tires in?

D major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in Mud On The Tires?

Drop-and-stay: broken chord 8-5-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Mud On The Tires 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.