Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play We Need A Little Christmas on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn We Need A Little Christmas in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: Fm – Bb7 – Fm – Bb7
We Need A Little Christmas sits in Eb major: Eb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Fm is F, Ab and C; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FmiiBb7V7FmiiBb7V7
- FmF · Ab · C
- Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
136 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Jazz walk
One note per beat, strolling like a jazz bassist. Musicians call it walking bass (walking bass), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Jazz walkWalking bass · Blues and boogie-woogieLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Hopscotch bells
A high bell note, a chord, a skipped beat, and one more chord. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Hopscotch bellsBlock chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 160 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: Fm – Bb7 – Eb
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FmBb7Eb
- EbEb · G · Bb

What chords are in We Need A Little Christmas?

The loop is Fm – Bb7 – Fm – Bb7 (ii – V7 – ii – V7) in Eb major, and the song ends on Fm – Bb7 – Eb.

What key is We Need A Little Christmas in?

Eb major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in We Need A Little Christmas?

Jazz walk: walking bass, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is We Need A Little Christmas easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

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