{"id":239,"date":"2019-12-20T06:45:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-01-12T12:05:56","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T20:05:56","slug":"the-christmas-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/the-christmas-song\/","title":{"rendered":"The Christmas Song"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<< Download the FREE lead sheet here >><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Christmas Song” is one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time, and it\u2019s one of the most popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a warning!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s NOT the easiest song to play. If you\u2019re a complete beginner this might be a little too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This song uses lots of 7th chords, chord inversions and chords that are OUTSIDE the key signature (non-diatonic chords). If you\u2019re not comfortable with those yet I\u2019d recommend practicing them first \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can do that right here. We have a fantastic lesson explaining 7th chords right here<\/a>. And if you need a lesson on chord inversions you can find that here as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you’re feeling brave and ready to learn “The Christmas Song”, let’s go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hardest Part About This Song<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is just HOW MANY chords and chord changes there are. Take a look at the opening line to see what I mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every measure has two chords in it. That means you’ll be changing to a new chord every two beats. And some of those transitions are easier than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So really take the time to map out where you’re going, and practice some of the more difficult changes a few times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things get crazy in line 2…<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Remember I mentioned that this song has lots of chords that are OUTSIDE the key signature (C)? Well, we see that best in line two:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Everything is great until we hit that B chord! But don’t worry, none of these chords are difficult on their own. I find it helps to stop, take a step back and figure out each chord separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A B chord has the notes B-D#-F#. As long as you play those in any order it will sound good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An E chord has E-G#-B. Already you can see it shares a common note with the B chord before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now moving to Bb is interesting. But remember, just break down the chord. A Bb chord has the notes Bb-D-F. The melody line has a Bb on top, so I find it nice to add the D and F below to play the chord in 1st inversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As long as you do this throughout the song those weird chords are so scary anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can be as complicated or simple as you like!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“The Christmas Song” sounds beautiful with all the 7ths and inversions, but it also sounds lovely if you play the basic chords in root position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn’t HAVE to be a very hard song to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, take it slow, figure out what you’ll be playing before you play it, and have fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And of course, Merry Christmas to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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