Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren) on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren) in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Em7 – Dm7 – C – Em – Dm7 – G7 – Dm7 – G7
How it goes
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren) sits in C major: C is home, where the song ends. It goes round 8 chords: Em7 is E, G, B and D; Dm7 is D, F, A and C; C is C, E and G; Em is E, G and B; G7 is G, B, D and F. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Em7iii7Dm7ii7CIEmiiiDm7ii7G7V7Dm7ii7G7V7
- Em7E · G · B · D
- Dm7D · F · A · C
- CC · E · G
- EmE · G · B
- G7G · B · D · F
2
Left hand: Giant steps
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking. Musicians call it lh chords (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Giant stepsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Freeze-tag chords
How it goes
Chord, chord-and, then freeze for the rest of the bar. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Freeze-tag chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 92 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 – C
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGC
- FF · A · C
- GG · B · D

What chords are in Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren)?

The loop is Em7 – Dm7 – C – Em – Dm7 – G7 – Dm7 – G7 (iii7 – ii7 – I – iii – ii7 – V7 – ii7 – V7) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren) in?

C major, at about 92 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren)?

Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren) easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 8 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer [Jazz version] (arr. Phillip Keveren)?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.