How to play Silver Bells on piano

Learn Silver Bells in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bb – Gm – Dm – Eb
Silver Bells sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bb is Bb, D and F; Gm is G, Bb and D; Dm is D, F and A; Eb is Eb, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BbIGmviDmiiiEbIV
- BbBb · D · F
- GmG · Bb · D
- DmD · F · A
- EbEb · G · Bb
13 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 chords
A chord on each of the three beats: a simple waltz. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltz chordsBlock chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 130 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
- FF · A · C

What chords are in Silver Bells?

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

What key is Silver Bells in?

Bb major, at about 130 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in Silver Bells?

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 Silver Bells 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.