Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Tenerife Sea on piano
By Ed Sheeran
- Ab major
- 6/8
- 90 BPM
- I–IVsus–I–IVsus loop
- 2014
- Medium
Learn Tenerife Sea in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Dbsus4 – Ab – Dbsus4
Tenerife Sea sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Dbsus4 is Db, Gb and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIDbsus4IVsus4AbIDbsus4IVsus4- AbAb · C · Eb
- Dbsus4Db · Gb · Ab
- 2
Left hand: Swelling 6/8
Rises to the top and falls back in one rocking six-note wave. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 73 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: Db – Eb – Ab
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DbEbAb- DbDb · F · Ab
- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Tenerife Sea
What chords are in Tenerife Sea?
The loop is Ab – Dbsus4 – Ab – Dbsus4 (I – IVsus – I – IVsus) in Ab major, and the song ends on Db – Eb – Ab.
What key is Tenerife Sea in?
Ab major, at about 90 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Tenerife Sea?
Swelling 6/8: open arpeggio 1-5-8-10-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Tenerife Sea 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.