Piano chords · Lullaby boat
How to play Oh Holy Night on piano
Written by Bart Millard & Peter Kipley
- D major
- 6/8
- 60 BPM
- 2004
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn Oh Holy Night in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: G – D – Asus4 – D
How it goes
Oh Holy Night sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: G is G, B and D; D is D, F# and A; Asus4 is A, D and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
GIVDIAsus4Vsus4DI- GG · B · D
- DD · F# · A
- Asus4A · D · E
- 2
Left hand: Hammock rocking
How it goes
Low, high, top, high in a long-short sway, like a swinging hammock. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (6/8) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 34 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Cradle chords
How it goes
A chord, a rock to beat two, a soft pickup back: like a cradle. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 60 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD- AA · C# · E
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Questions about Oh Holy Night
What chords are in Oh Holy Night?
The loop is G – D – Asus4 – D (IV – I – Vsus – I) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is Oh Holy Night in?
D major, at about 60 beats a minute in 6/8.
What does the left hand play in Oh Holy Night?
Hammock rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5 (6/8), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is Oh Holy Night 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.