Piano chords · Rock drive

How to play The Little Drummer Boy on piano

By Harry Simeone

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn The Little Drummer Boy in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F7 – Bb – F – F7 – C7
How it goes
The Little Drummer Boy sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb is Bb, D and F; F is F, A and C; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
F7I7BbIVFIF7I7C7V7
- F7F · A · C · Eb
- BbBb · D · F
- FF · A · C
- C7C · E · G · Bb
2
Left hand: Power fifths
How it goes
Root and fifth together: big and bold. Musicians call it lh power fifths (left-hand chords), a medium pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Power fifthsLeft-hand chords · RockLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Double-skip chords
How it goes
Steady chords with two quick skips, one mid-bar and one at the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Double-skip chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 160 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: Bb – C – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbCF
- CC · E · G

What chords are in The Little Drummer Boy?

The loop is F7 – Bb – F – F7 – C7 (I7 – IV – I – I7 – V7) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C – F.

What key is The Little Drummer Boy in?

F major, at about 160 beats a minute in 12/8.

What does the left hand play in The Little Drummer Boy?

Power fifths: lh power fifths, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Little Drummer Boy easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of The Little Drummer Boy?

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

Made from 7 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.