Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play The Christmas Shoes on piano
Written by Leonard Ahlstrom & Eddie Carswell
- G major
- 2/2
- 133 BPM
- 2000
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn The Christmas Shoes in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: C – Dsus4 – D – Am
How it goes
The Christmas Shoes sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: C is C, E and G; Dsus4 is D, G and A; D is D, F# and A; Am is A, C and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
CIVDsus4Vsus4DVAmii- CC · E · G
- Dsus4D · G · A
- DD · F# · A
- AmA · C · E
- 2
Left hand: Open sky
How it goes
Root, fifth, then a high third: open and airy, the sound of a big sky. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 918 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 133 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: C – D – G
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
CDG- GG · B · D
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Questions about The Christmas Shoes
What chords are in The Christmas Shoes?
The loop is C – Dsus4 – D – Am (IV – Vsus – V – ii) in G major, and the song ends on C – D – G.
What key is The Christmas Shoes in?
G major, at about 133 beats a minute in 2/2.
What does the left hand play in The Christmas Shoes?
Open sky: open arpeggio 1-5-10, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The Christmas Shoes 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 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.