Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play Tennessee Moon on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn Tennessee Moon in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: C – G – D – Em
How it goes
Tennessee Moon sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIVGIDVEmvi
- CC · E · G
- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- EmE · G · B
141 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Pop heartbeat
How it goes
Long, short, long: the heartbeat under a thousand pop songs. Musicians call it root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Pop heartbeatRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Rising chords
How it goes
Up the chord and back in quick notes, gently lifting the song. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Rising chordsRising arpeggio · BalladRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG

What chords are in Tennessee Moon?

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

What key is Tennessee Moon in?

G major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Tennessee Moon?

Pop heartbeat: root bass · charleston push (1 · 2& · 3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Tennessee Moon 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.