Silent Night Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Silent Night in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – F – Bb – Eb
Silent Night sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIFVBbIEbIV
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- EbEb · G · Bb
76 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Waltz rocking
Three quick notes up to the top, then one long note back down. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 70 songs of the library.
Waltz rockingBroken chord · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Waltz push chords
Chord, a push before beat 3, then the landing: a waltz with a nudge. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltz push chordsSyncopated chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 76 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: Eb – F – Bb
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EbFBb

What chords are in Silent Night?

The loop is Bb – F – Bb – Eb (I – V – I – IV) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Silent Night in?

Bb major, at about 76 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Silent Night?

Waltz rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Silent 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.