Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: B7 – E – C#m – F#m
How it goes
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: B7 is B, D#, F# and A; E is E, G# and B; C#m is C#, E and G#; F#m is F#, A and C#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
B7V7EIC#mviF#mii
- B7B · D# · F# · A
- EE · G# · B
- C#mC# · E · G#
- F#mF# · A · C#
34 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Happy wiggle
How it goes
Root, fifth, a step up and back: a cheerful bluesy wiggle. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-6-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 165 songs of the library.
Happy wiggleBroken chord · BalladLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Pausing chords
How it goes
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pausing chordsBlock chords · ClassicalRight handEasy
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: B – A – E
How it goes
The last chords are V – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BAE
- BB · D# · F#
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?

The loop is B7 – E – C#m – F#m (V7 – I – vi – ii) in E major, and the song ends on B – A – E.

What key is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in?

E major, at about 90 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?

Happy wiggle: broken chord 1-5-6-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.