Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Tenderly on piano
By Bill Evans
- Eb major
- 3/4
- 160 BPM
- 1946
- Medium
Learn Tenderly in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Eb – Ab7 – Ebm – Ab7
Tenderly sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Ab7 is Ab, C, Eb and Gb; Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbIAb7IV7EbmiAb7IV7- EbEb · G · Bb
- Ab7Ab · C · Eb · Gb
- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Velvet waltz
Soft two-note chords in three: a dreamy, jazzy waltz. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (3/4) (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in 176 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Waltz chords
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 BPM
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: Ab – Bb – Eb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbBbEb- AbAb · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
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Questions about Tenderly
What chords are in Tenderly?
The loop is Eb – Ab7 – Ebm – Ab7 (I – IV7 – i – IV7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Ab – Bb – Eb.
What key is Tenderly in?
Eb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in Tenderly?
Velvet waltz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Tenderly 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.