Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play Do You Hear What I Hear on piano

By Gloria Shayne

  • Ab major
  • 4/4
  • 85 BPM
  • 1962
  • Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Velvet jazzRight hand Heartbeat chordsChords worked out from the notes of the famous part

Learn Do You Hear What I Hear in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: Ab – Ab – Fm7 – Ab – Ab

    Do You Hear What I Hear sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Fm7 is F, Ab, C and Eb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    AbIAbIFm7vi7AbIAbI
    • AbAb · C · Eb
    • Fm7F · Ab · C · Eb
    69 songs go round the same chords
  2. 2

    Left hand: Velvet jazz

    Two soft notes on each beat: the cozy colour of old jazz ballads. Musicians call it lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3) (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.

    Velvet jazzLeft-hand chords · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handEasy
  3. 3

    Right hand: Heartbeat chords

    Long, short, long: chords on the pop heartbeat, then a rest. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.

    Heartbeat chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
  4. 4

    Both hands at 85 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. 5

    Ending: Eb – Db – Ab

    The last chords are V – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    EbDbAb
    • EbEb · G · Bb
    • DbDb · F · Ab

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The same left hand: Velvet jazz

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Questions about Do You Hear What I Hear

What chords are in Do You Hear What I Hear?

The loop is Ab – Ab – Fm7 – Ab – Ab (I – vi7 – I – vi7 – I) in Ab major, and the song ends on Eb – Db – Ab.

What key is Do You Hear What I Hear in?

Ab major, at about 85 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Do You Hear What I Hear?

Velvet jazz: lh shell voicings (1-7 / 1-3), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Do You Hear What I Hear easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 5 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Do You Hear What I Hear?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.