Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play A Caroling We Go on piano
By Johnny Marks
- C major
- 6/8
- 98 BPM
- IV–V7–I–IV loop
- 1966
- Medium
Learn A Caroling We Go in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – G7 – C – F
A Caroling We Go sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; G7 is G, B, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIVG7V7CIFIV- FF · A · C
- G7G · B · D · F
- CC · E · G
- 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: Hammock chords
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 98 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: F – G7 – C
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FG7C
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Questions about A Caroling We Go
What chords are in A Caroling We Go?
The loop is F – G7 – C – F (IV – V7 – I – IV) in C major, and the song ends on F – G7 – C.
What key is A Caroling We Go in?
C major, at about 98 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in A Caroling We Go?
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 A Caroling We Go 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.