Standards
Tenderly chords & key
“Tenderly” is a jazz standard by Walter Gross. Most bands play it in E♭ major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres F minor and E♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 12 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- B♭7×6
- Fm7×5
- E♭maj7×4
- A♭7×4
- Fm7♭5×3
- E♭m7×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
F minor and E♭ major
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
Recorded on these albums
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- TENDERLY JOHNNY HODGES AND HIS ORCHESTRA · Johnny Hodges · Emmett Berry · Al… archive.org ↗
- Tenderly Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra · Johnny Hodges · Emmett Berry · Al… · 1952 archive.org ↗
- TENDERLY JOHNNY SMITH · Stan Getz · 1952 archive.org ↗
- TENDERLY THE TEDDY WILSON TRIO · Teddy Wilson · Denzil Best · Aaron Bell ·… · 1953 archive.org ↗
- TENDERLY OSCAR PETERSON · Ray Brown · Lawrence · Gross · Norman Granz · 1953 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Where Are You? 25% | G major |
| The Good Life 23% | A♭ major |
| Let There Be Love 22% | E♭ major |
| Love Vibrations 21% | E♭ major |
| When You Wish Upon A Star 21% | C major |
| Little Willie Leaps 20% | F major |
| Manhattan 20% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Tenderly in?
Tenderly is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote Tenderly?
Tenderly was written by Walter Gross.
What is the form of Tenderly?
Tenderly has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Tenderly played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Tenderly?
The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Ab7 | Ebm7 | Ab7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.