Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play The Little Drummer Boy on piano
By Josh Groban
- D major
- 4/4
- 122 BPM
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
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: D – A – Bm – G
How it goes
The Little Drummer Boy sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E; Bm is B, D and F#; G is G, B and D. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DIAVBmviGIV- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
- BmB · D · F#
- GG · B · D
- 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.
- 3
Right hand: Soft chords
How it goes
Soft chords on beats 1, 3 and 4. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 122 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: G – A – D
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
GAD
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Questions about The Little Drummer Boy
What chords are in The Little Drummer Boy?
The loop is D – A – Bm – G (I – V – vi – IV) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.
What key is The Little Drummer Boy in?
D major, at about 122 beats a minute in 4/4.
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 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Made from one arrangement of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.