Piano chords · Blues & boogie

How to play We Wish You A Merry Christmas on piano

Tuning the piano…

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Learn We Wish You A Merry Christmas in 5 steps

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

1
Chords: F – C – Bb – G – Dm – C
How it goes
We Wish You A Merry Christmas sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 6 chords: F is F, A and C; C is C, E and G; Bb is Bb, D and F; G is G, B and D; Dm is D, F and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
FICVBbIVGIIDmviCV
- FF · A · C
- CC · E · G
- BbBb · D · F
- GG · B · D
- DmD · F · A
100 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Jazz walk
How it goes
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: Pop stabs
How it goes
Chord stabs in the 3-3-2 pop rhythm. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Pop stabsSyncopated chords · PopRight handEasy
4
Both hands at 86 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: Bb – C7 – F
How it goes
The last chords are IV – V7 – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
BbC7F
- C7C · E · G · Bb

What chords are in We Wish You A Merry Christmas?

The loop is F – C – Bb – G – Dm – C (I – V – IV – II – vi – V) in F major, and the song ends on Bb – C7 – F.

What key is We Wish You A Merry Christmas in?

F major, at about 86 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in We Wish You A Merry Christmas?

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

Is We Wish You A Merry Christmas easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 6 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of We Wish You A Merry Christmas?

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

Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.