Piano chords · Rock drive
The Little Drummer Boy: piano accompaniment sheet music
By Harry Simeone
- F major
- 12/8
- 160 BPM
- 1958
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
The Little Drummer Boy written out as piano music: the I7 – IV – I – I7 – V7 loop in F major for both hands, with chord names and finger numbers. Press play and follow the cursor. The left hand plays power fifths (lh power fifths) and the right hand double-skip chords.
The Little Drummer Boy chord chart
The loop once round, bar by bar, in F major. The roman numeral says the chord's place in the key, so the same chart works in any key.
| Bar | Chord | Numeral | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F7 | I7 | F A C Eb |
| 2 | Bb | IV | Bb D F |
| 3 | F | I | F A C |
| 4 | F7 | I7 | F A C Eb |
| 5 | C7 | V7 | C E G Bb |
What the sheet music shows
The grand staff: the right hand on the treble staff, the left hand on the bass staff, with the chord names above and a finger number on each note (1 is the thumb). It is the accompaniment: power fifths (lh power fifths) in the left hand and double-skip chords in the right, over the F7 – Bb – F – F7 – C7 chords.
Press play and a cursor follows the music. Above it, Colours paints each note in its key’s colour and Note names writes its letter on its head.
To see the real melody written out, play “The part you know”: the sheet music changes to it.
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Questions about The Little Drummer Boy
Does the sheet music for The Little Drummer Boy have finger numbers?
Yes: every note of both hands has its finger number, 1 being the thumb. To read the notes alone, turn Fingers off above the music.
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.