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: A7 – D – Bm – Em
How it goes
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; D is D, F# and A; Bm is B, D and F#; Em is E, G and B. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7V7DIBmviEmii
- A7A · C# · E · G
- DD · F# · A
- BmB · D · F#
- EmE · G · B
34 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Moonlit waves
How it goes
Rolls up to a high note and back down, slow and wide in three. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 84 songs of the library.
Moonlit wavesOpen arpeggio · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Waltz chords
How it goes
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltz chordsBlock chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 110 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: Bm – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are vi – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BmAD
- AA · C# · E

What chords are in Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?

The loop is A7 – D – Bm – Em (V7 – I – vi – ii) in D major, and the song ends on Bm – A – D.

What key is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in?

D major, at about 110 beats a minute in 3/4.

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

Moonlit waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (3/4), 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 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.