Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas on piano
By Hugh Martin
- A minor
- 4/4
- 106 BPM
- 1943
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
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: C – C7 – Bb7 – C – C7 – Bb7
How it goes
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas sits in A minor: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: C is C, E and G; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIIIC7III7Bb7bII7CIIIC7III7Bb7bII7- CC · E · G
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- 2
Left hand: River roll
How it goes
Flows up five notes with a little step near the top, like a river. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 242 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 106 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 – Am
How it goes
The last chords are bVI – bVII – i, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGAm- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D
- AmA · C · E
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Questions about Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
What chords are in Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?
The loop is C – C7 – Bb7 – C – C7 – Bb7 (III – III7 – bII7 – III – III7 – bII7) in A minor, and the song ends on F – G – Am.
What key is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in?
A minor, at about 106 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?
River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-8-9-10, a medium 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?
It is a medium one: learn the 6 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.