Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play Christmas Wrapping on piano
Written by Chris Butler
- C major
- 4/4
- 120 BPM
- 1981
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Christmas Wrapping in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – F – Fsus4 – D
How it goes
Christmas Wrapping sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; F is F, A and C; Fsus4 is F, Bb and C; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIFIVFsus4IVsus4DII- CC · E · G
- FF · A · C
- Fsus4F · Bb · C
- DD · F# · A
- 2
Left hand: Spinning-top pulse
How it goes
Six even low notes in a three-beat bar, spinning round and round. Musicians call it root bass · 3/4 8ths (root bass rhythm), a medium pattern heard in 87 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: the chords, held
How it goes
In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.
- 4
Both hands at 120 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: F – G – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC- GG · B · D
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Questions about Christmas Wrapping
What chords are in Christmas Wrapping?
The loop is C – F – Fsus4 – D (I – IV – IVsus – II5) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.
What key is Christmas Wrapping in?
C major, at about 120 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Christmas Wrapping?
Spinning-top pulse: root bass · 3/4 8ths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Christmas Wrapping 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.