Piano chords · Pop heartbeat
How to play Christmas Makes Me Cry on piano
Written by Mark Schoenfeld & Barri McPherson
- G minor
- 2/2
- 90 BPM
- 1995
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Christmas Makes Me Cry in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Gm – Cm – D
How it goes
Christmas Makes Me Cry sits in G minor: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; Cm is C, Eb and G; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FVIIGmiCmivDV- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- CmC · Eb · G
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Lazy footsteps
How it goes
One long low note, then two calm steps to finish the bar. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Circling light
How it goes
Three notes circle round and round in a soft, glowing loop. 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 – Gm
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFGm- EbEb · G · Bb
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Questions about Christmas Makes Me Cry
What chords are in Christmas Makes Me Cry?
The loop is F – Gm – Cm – D (bVII – i – iv – V) in G minor, and the song ends on Eb – F – Gm.
What key is Christmas Makes Me Cry in?
G minor, at about 90 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Christmas Makes Me Cry?
Lazy footsteps: root bass · 1 · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Christmas Makes Me Cry 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.