Piano chords · Slow dance ’50s
How to play I'll Be Home For Christmas on piano
By Pentatonix
- Ab major
- 12/8
- 114 BPM
- Easy
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn I'll Be Home For Christmas in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Ab – Fm – Bb7 – Bbm
How it goes
I'll Be Home For Christmas sits in Ab major: Ab is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Ab is Ab, C and Eb; Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; Bbm is Bb, Db and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
AbIFmviBb7II7Bbmii- AbAb · C · Eb
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
- BbmBb · Db · F
- 2
Left hand: Slow-dance heartbeat
How it goes
Four slow, deep beats under a swaying fifties ballad. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8) (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in 134 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Slow-dance chords
How it goes
Four slow chords per bar under a swaying fifties ballad. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 114 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: Ab – Eb7 – Ab
How it goes
The last chords are I – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AbEb7Ab- Eb7Eb · G · Bb · Db
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Questions about I'll Be Home For Christmas
What chords are in I'll Be Home For Christmas?
The loop is Ab – Fm – Bb7 – Bbm (I – vi – II7 – ii) in Ab major, and the song ends on Ab – Eb7 – Ab.
What key is I'll Be Home For Christmas in?
Ab major, at about 114 beats a minute in 12/8.
What does the left hand play in I'll Be Home For Christmas?
Slow-dance heartbeat: root bass · 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 (12/8), an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is I'll Be Home For 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.