Piano chords · Waltz garden
How to play The First Noel on piano
- D major
- 3/4
- 92 BPM
- Medium
Learn The First Noel in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: D – F# – E – Dm
The First Noel sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; F# is F#, A# and C#; E is E, G# and B; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIF#IIIEIIDmi- DD · F# · A
- F#F# · A# · C#
- EE · G# · B
- DmD · F · A
- 2
Left hand: Moon River roll
A wide, flowing roll in three, the Moon River feel. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4) (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 441 songs of the library.
- 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.
- 4
Both hands at 92 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: Em – A7 – D
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
EmA7D- EmE · G · B
- A7A · C# · E · G
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Questions about The First Noel
What chords are in The First Noel?
The loop is D – F# – E – Dm (I – III – II – i) in D major, and the song ends on Em – A7 – D.
What key is The First Noel in?
D major, at about 92 beats a minute in 3/4.
What does the left hand play in The First Noel?
Moon River roll: open arpeggio 1-5-10 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is The First Noel 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 3 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.