Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Up To The Mountain on piano
By Patty Griffin
- C major
- 6/8
- 75 BPM
- IV–I–IV–I loop
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Up To The Mountain in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – C – F – C
How it goes
Up To The Mountain sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIVCIFIVCI- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Cradle pulse
How it goes
A deep note, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 160 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Hammock chords
How it goes
Long-short, long-short: soft chords sway like a hammock. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 75 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 – F – C
How it goes
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CFC
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Questions about Up To The Mountain
What chords are in Up To The Mountain?
The loop is F – C – F – C (IV – I – IV – I) in C major, and the song ends on C – F – C.
What key is Up To The Mountain in?
C major, at about 75 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Up To The Mountain?
Cradle pulse: root bass · 1 · 2 · 2.3 (6/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Up To The Mountain 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.