Piano chords · Dreamy ballad

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: A7 – A7 – D7 – D7
How it goes
We Need A Little Christmas sits in G major: G is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: A7 is A, C#, E and G; D7 is D, F#, A and C. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
A7II7A7II7D7V7D7V7
- A7A · C# · E · G
- D7D · F# · A · C
136 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Rolling waves
How it goes
Rolls up to the high third and back down, like a wave on the shore. Musicians call it open arpeggio 1-5-10-5 (open arpeggio), a medium pattern heard in 545 songs of the library.
Rolling wavesOpen arpeggio · BalladLeft handMedium
3
Right hand: Push-and-land chords
How it goes
A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Push-and-land chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
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: Am – D7 – G
How it goes
The last chords are ii – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
AmD7G
- AmA · C · E
- GG · B · D

What chords are in We Need A Little Christmas?

The loop is A7 – A7 – D7 – D7 (II7 – V7 – II7 – V7) in G major, and the song ends on Am – D7 – G.

What key is We Need A Little Christmas in?

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

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

Rolling waves: open arpeggio 1-5-10-5, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is We Need A Little 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.

Can I hear the real melody of We Need A Little Christmas?

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

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.