Piano chords · Dreamy ballad
How to play White Winter Hymnal on piano
By Fleet Foxes
- E major
- 4/4
- 124 BPM
- I–ii–IV–V loop
- 2008
- Medium
Learn White Winter Hymnal in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: E – F#m – A – B
White Winter Hymnal sits in E major: E is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: E is E, G# and B; F#m is F#, A and C#; A is A, C# and E; B is B, D# and F#. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
EIF#miiAIVBV- EE · G# · B
- F#mF# · A · C#
- AA · C# · E
- BB · D# · F#
- 2
Left hand: Gentle rocking
Root, fifth, octave, fifth: the gentle rocking under countless pop ballads. Musicians call it broken chord 1-5-8-5 (broken chord), an easy pattern heard in 696 songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Pumping chords
A chord on every eighth note, driving the song forward. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 124 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: A – B – E
The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
ABE
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Questions about White Winter Hymnal
What chords are in White Winter Hymnal?
The loop is E – F#m – A – B (I – ii – IV – V) in E major, and the song ends on A – B – E.
What key is White Winter Hymnal in?
E major, at about 124 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in White Winter Hymnal?
Gentle rocking: broken chord 1-5-8-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is White Winter Hymnal 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.