Piano chords · Classical salon
How to play Nuttin’ For Christmas on piano
By Roy Bennett
- F major
- 2/2
- 160 BPM
- I–ii–V7–I loop
- 1955
- Medium
Learn Nuttin’ For Christmas in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: F – Gm – C7 – F
Nuttin’ For Christmas sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F is F, A and C; Gm is G, Bb and D; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FIGmiiC7V7FI- FF · A · C
- GmG · Bb · D
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- 2
Left hand: Mozart murmur
Low, high, middle, high, over and over: the Mozart murmur. Musicians call it alberti bass 1-5-3-5 (alberti bass), a medium pattern heard in 186 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pausing chords
Three steady chords, then beat 4 left empty to breathe. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 160 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
Ending: Gm – C7 – F
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GmC7F
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Questions about Nuttin’ For Christmas
What chords are in Nuttin’ For Christmas?
The loop is F – Gm – C7 – F (I – ii – V7 – I) in F major, and the song ends on Gm – C7 – F.
What key is Nuttin’ For Christmas in?
F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in Nuttin’ For Christmas?
Mozart murmur: alberti bass 1-5-3-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Nuttin’ For 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.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.