Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play An Old Fashioned Christmas on piano
- Bb major
- 4/4
- 90 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn An Old Fashioned Christmas in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ebm – Eb – Bb – Ebm
How it goes
An Old Fashioned Christmas sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ebm is Eb, Gb and Bb; Eb is Eb, G and Bb; Bb is Bb, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EbmivEbIVBbIEbmiv- EbmEb · Gb · Bb
- EbEb · G · Bb
- BbBb · D · F
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
How it goes
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
How it goes
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 90 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: Eb – F – Bb
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb- FF · A · C
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Questions about An Old Fashioned Christmas
What chords are in An Old Fashioned Christmas?
The loop is Ebm – Eb – Bb – Ebm (iv – IV – I – iv) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.
What key is An Old Fashioned Christmas in?
Bb major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in An Old Fashioned Christmas?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is An Old Fashioned Christmas 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.