The Night Before Christmas Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn The Night Before Christmas in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Bm – A – D – Bm
How it goes
The Night Before Christmas sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Bm is B, D and F#; A is A, C# and E; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
BmviAVDIBmvi
- BmB · D · F#
- AA · C# · E
- DD · F# · A
23 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Waltz rocking
How it goes
Three quick notes up to the top, then one long note back down. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4) (broken chord), a medium pattern heard in 70 songs of the library.
Waltz rockingBroken chord · WaltzLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Waltz push chords
How it goes
Chord, a push before beat 3, then the landing: a waltz with a nudge. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Waltz push chordsSyncopated chords · WaltzRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 96 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
- GG · B · D

What chords are in The Night Before Christmas?

The loop is Bm – A – D – Bm (vi – V – I – vi) in D major, and the song ends on G – A – D.

What key is The Night Before Christmas in?

D major, at about 96 beats a minute in 3/4.

What does the left hand play in The Night Before Christmas?

Waltz rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5 (3/4), a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Night Before Christmas 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.