Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Slievenamon on piano
Artist unknown
- D major
- 6/8
- 105 BPM
- I–vi–IV–V7 loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Slievenamon in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – Bm – G – A7
How it goes
Slievenamon sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D; A7 is A, C#, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIBmviGIVA7V7- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- A7A · C# · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Little rainbow
How it goes
Six notes up the chord and back down: an arch in one rocking bar. Musicians call it broken chord 1-3-5-8-5-3 (6/8) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 35 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 105 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Slievenamon
What chords are in Slievenamon?
The loop is D – Bm – G – A7 (I – vi – IV – V7) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Slievenamon in?
D major, at about 105 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Slievenamon?
Little rainbow: broken chord 1-3-5-8-5-3 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Slievenamon 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.