In The Bleak Mid-Winter: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
December 7, 2011
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This guide will show you how to play simple arrangements of “In The Bleak Mid-Winter”.
Introduction
Here, In The Bleak Mid-Winter is written and played in the key of C Major, and has a 4/4 time signature.
Main Melody
Notice that the song is constructed from three similar-sounding phrases and a distinct melodic passage.
Bars 1-4 (line 1), 5-8 (line 2) and 13-16 (line 4) are all very similar (lines 2 and 4 are identical) but have a couple of differences.
For example, notice the difference in notes and timing between bar 3 and 7.
Here are the melody notes you need to play:
E F G E | D C | D E D A | D
E F G E | D C | D E D C | C
F E F G | A A E | G E D C | B
E F G E | D C | D E D C | C
Here’s the complete melody written out:
Here’s what it sounds like:
Single Note Bass Line
Below is a simple bass line for the song using just one note at a time. Most of the time you simply play a whole note (semibreve) per bar, with the exception of bars 7, 11 and 15 where you play two half notes (minims).
Here’s the printed music:
And here’s what it sounds like:
Bass Line and Chords
Here’s a full-blown version of In The Bleak Mid-Winter with right-hand chords.
Here’s the printed music:
And here’s what it sounds like:
We hope you found this guide useful. Feel free to leave comments below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Joy to the World: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
October 17, 2011
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A popular carol in our series on mastering Christmas Carols on Piano and Keyboard is “Joy to the World”.
Introduction
Here, Joy to the World is written and played in the key of C Major, and has a 4/4 time signature.
C major makes the higher notes more comfortable to sing, but you could transpose up (or indeed down) if needed.
Main Melody
The melody notes you need to play are:
C B A | G – F | E D | C – G | A – A | B – B | C | ^C C |
C B A G | G F E C | C B A G | G F E E |
E E E E F | G – - F E | D D D D E | F – - E D | C C – A |
G F E F | E – D – | C – - – |
Here’s the complete melody written out:
And here’s what it sounds like:
Fingering
The first four bars contain a descending C major scale, so play this as you would a normal scale, starting on the fifth (little) finger, running to the thumb (on F) and then bridging over with your middle (third) finger to play the E, ending up on the thumb again on C.
Stretch your index finger up to the next note – G – if you can as this makes the next run easy to play. Play the descending runs of notes with your fingers in sequence, arching over with your index finger where necessary.
Single Note Bass Line
Below is a simple bass line for the carol using just one note at a time. Most of the bass notes are whole notes (semibreves) with one bar of half notes (minims). You only play notes C, F and G.
Here’s the printed music:
And here’s what it sounds like:
More elaborate bass line
This bass line is a little more elaborate and follows the melody rhythmically, often reflecting the melody in some way.
Here’s the printed music:
And here’s what it sounds like:
Adding harmony and fullness with chords
In the final version of Joy to the World, I’ve added two- and three-note chords to the right hand, always with the melody note as the highest note. The bass line has also been slightly altered to fit with the harmonies.
Here’s the printed music.
And here’s what it sounds like:
We hope you found this guide useful. Feel free to leave comments below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Hark the Herald Angels Sing: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
December 9, 2010
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As part of our mastering Christmas carols on piano and keyboard series, here’s our guide to playing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
View a range of Christmas Carols Music Books at Amazon.
Introduction
Hark the Herald Angels Sing is written here in G major, which is a comfortable key for most people to sing it in.
Main Melody
Here’s the complete melody written out on the treble clef stave, as you’d play it with the right hand:
Listen to the melody (MIDI file, should play directly in your browser. Alternatively, iTunes or Quicktime will play it).
Those notes are:
D G G F# | G B B A | D D D C | B A B | D G G F# |
G B B A | D A A F# | F# E D | D D D G | C B B A |
D D D G | C B B A | E E E D | C B C | A B C D G |
G A B | E E E D | C B C | A B C D | G G A G |
Single Note Bass Line
Here’s how to add single bass notes to add some harmony. Most notes are on the 1st and 3rd beats of the bar, with a few quarter notes (crotchets) as well.
Do note the extra sharps — the C# in bar 7, and the G# in bars 14 and 18.
Melody with Chords and Octave Bass
The final version features the playing of chords in the right hand, with the melody as the highest note, and the same bass notes in the left hand.
This is potentially one of the hardest carols we’ve covered so far, in terms of right hand chord changes, but it’s worth sticking with it as it includes some lovely harmonies.
I hope you find this guide useful for helping you to play Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
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Series Index: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard: The Holly and the Ivy
December 9, 2010
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As part of our mastering Christmas carols on piano and keyboard series, here’s our guide to playing The Holly and the Ivy.
View a range of Christmas Carols Music Books at Amazon.
Introduction
Like Silent Night, Away in a Manger and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, The Holly and the Ivy is in 3/4 (Waltz) time.
It’s written here in G major, which is a comfortable key for most people to sing it in.
Main Melody
The main melody repeats, as the chorus keeps the same tune as the verse. Bar 1 to the beginning of bar 9 is the verse, with bar 9 to bar 17 the repeat.
Here’s the complete melody written out on the treble clef stave, as you’d play it with the right hand:
Listen to the melody (MIDI file, should play directly in your browser. Alternatively, iTunes or Quicktime will play it).
Those notes are:
G | G G G E | D B G | G G G E | D D C | B A G B B |
E E D G A | B C B A | G G | G G G E | D B G | G G G E |
D D C | B A G B B | E E D G A | B C B A | G
Single Note Bass Line
Here’s how to add a single bass note to each bar to add a little harmony. In fact, it only uses three different notes — G (predominantly), C and D.
Walking Bass
This extends the above theme with a slightly more complex bass line. Instead of one bass note per bar, I’ve introduced a ‘walking’ bass line feel comprised primarily of crotchets (quarter notes).
Melody with Chords and Octave Bass
The final version features the playing of chords in the right hand, with the melody as the highest note, plus two bass notes an octave apart in the left hand, plus occasional fill-in notes.
This version will cause the right hand to hop around a little, as you move from chord to chord, although if you look at each chord progression, many keep one or more of the same notes and similar shape. For example, at the start of bar 3, the chord changes from a G major in root position to a G major in 2nd inversion (D in the bass), and then to a perfect fourth interval with that same D as the root.
In other places, it’s a case of moving some of your fingers by one note. The last two chords in bar 8 move from a G major in 2nd inversion to a D major root chord. All this requires is to move the top note down from B to A and the middle note down from G to F sharp, which is quite an easy finger move.
The only places you’ll really need to watch your jump is accurate are places like in bar 2, moving from the first inversion G major chord to the major 3rd interval on the higher C.
I hope you find this guide useful for helping you to play The Holly and the Ivy.
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Series Index: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
Deck the Halls: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
October 13, 2010
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Deck the Halls is carol number 8 in our series on mastering Christmas carols on the piano and keyboard.
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Introduction
Deck the Halls is written here in F major, which is a comfortable key for most people to sing it in. (See Away in a Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem as other carols in F major)
Main Melody
It’s quite easy to see a pattern in “Deck the Halls”. The first and second lines are identical, and the fourth line is very similar except for the change in the last two bars.
Here’s the complete melody written out on the treble clef stave, as you’d play it with the right hand:
Listen to the melody (MIDI file, should play directly in your browser. Alternatively, iTunes or Quicktime will play it).
Those notes are:
C Bb A G | F G A F | G A Bb G A G | F E F |
C Bb A G | F G A F | G A Bb G A G | F E F |
G A Bb G | A Bb C G | A B C D E F | E D C |
C Bb A G | F G A F | D D D D C B | A G F |
Single Note Bass Line
Here’s how to add single bass notes to each bar to add a little harmony:
Melody and Accompaniment
The final version features the playing of chords in the right hand, with the melody note as the highest, plus two bass notes an octave apart in the left hand.
I hope you find this guide useful for helping you to play Deck the Halls.
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Away in a Manger (alternative tune): Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
August 16, 2010
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How to play Away in a Manger on the piano or keyboard. Note that this is an alternative (some might say the original) version of the melody. The British version of Away in a Manger is also available.
View a range of Christmas Carols Music Books at Amazon.
Introduction
Like Silent Night and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Away in a Manger is in 3/4 (Waltz) time.
It’s written here in F major, which is a comfortable key for most people to sing it in.
Main Melody
The melody is quite different to the alternative version. There’s more variation here, though there is a hint of repetition between the two halves.
Here’s the complete melody written out on the treble clef stave, as you’d play it with the right hand:
Listen to the melody (MIDI file, should play directly in your browser. Alternatively, iTunes or Quicktime will play it).
Those notes are:
- – C | C Bb A | A G F | F E D | C C | C D C | C G E | D C F | A C | C Bb A |
A G F | F E D | C C | Bb A G | A G F | G D E | F
Single Note Bass Line
Here’s how to add a single bass note to each bar to add a little harmony. In fact, it only uses three different notes — C, F and Bb.
Melody and Accompaniment
The final version features the playing of chords in the right hand, with the melody note as the highest, plus two bass notes an octave apart in the left hand.
Note that the lowest one or two notes in each right hand bar are held for the duration (three beats) while the melody notes are played. This can either be done by physically holding the notes down (if comfortable), using the sustain pedal, or a combination. See what sounds the best — generally sustaining a whole bar when there are only a few melody notes in each will still give a pleasing sound without fear of notes running too much into one another.
I hope you find this guide useful for helping you to play Away in a Manger.
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Series Index: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
Away in a Manger: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
August 13, 2010
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How to play Away in a Manger on the piano or keyboard. Note that this is the English version of the melody. Here is a well-known alternative tune for Away in a Manger.
View a range of Christmas Carols Music Books at Amazon.
Introduction
Like Silent Night and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Away in a Manger is in 3/4 (Waltz) time.
It’s written here in F major, which is a comfortable key for most people to sing it in.
Main Melody
With the exception of the last couple of notes, which are swapped, almost exactly the same melody is repeated twice in each verse. However, the accompaniment chords do vary very slightly.
Here’s the complete melody written out on the treble clef stave, as you’d play it with the right hand:
Listen to the melody (MIDI file, should play directly in your browser. Alternatively, iTunes or Quicktime will play it).
Those notes are:
- – C | F F G A | F F A Bb | C C D | Bb G A | Bb Bb C |
A A F A | G D F | E C | F F G A | F F A Bb | C C D |
Bb G A | B B C | A A F A | G D E | F -
Single Note Bass Line
Here’s how to add a single bass note to each bar to add a little harmony. In fact, it only uses three different notes — C, F and G.
Chords Only
If you simply want to play appropriate chords so you can sing or have another instrument playing the melody, here are very simple ones. Note that in bar 8 the chord is a G major in first inversion (this is significant because it requires you to play a B natural not a B flat). It doesn’t sound bad if you play a G minor chord here, but I prefer this version. [Find out more about major and minor chords here]
Melody and Accompaniment
The final version features the playing of chords in the right hand, with the melody note as the highest, plus two bass notes an octave apart in the left hand.
Note that the lowest one or two notes in each right hand bar are held for the duration (three beats) while the melody notes are played. This can either be done by physically holding the notes down (if comfortable), using the sustain pedal, or a combination. See what sounds the best — generally sustaining a whole bar when there are only a few melody notes in each will still give a pleasing sound without fear of notes running too much into one another.
I hope you find this guide useful for helping you to play Away in a Manger.
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Series Index: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
November 11, 2009
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We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Introduction
Like Silent Night and Away in a Manger, We Wish You A Merry Christmas is in 3/4 (waltz time).
The version presented here is played in G Major. This is a fairly easy key to play in (one sharp – F# – though there are some occasional accidentals along the way) and, importantly, to sing in.
We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Main Melody
You’ll notice that the main “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” line is repeated three times, rising in pitch but with the same basic melodic shape.
For each phrase, the first and second notes are a perfect fourth apart (find out more about songs to help you learn note intervals).
The run of notes are fairly easy to play, but it’s worth noting that, in this key, the third phrase begins on the black note of F#.
Here’s the complete melody written out:
Those notes are:
D : G G A G F# : E C E : A A B A G :
F# D F# : B B C B A : G E D D : E A F# :
G D : G G G : F# F# : G F# E : D A :
B A A G G : D(high) D D D : E A F# : G
And here’s what it sounds like:
We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Single Note Bass Line
Below is a simple bass line for the carol using just one note. Most of the time, you only need to play one note (a dotted minim (half note)) per bar, except in four bars that have a minim (half note) followed by a crotchet (quarter note).
And here’s what it sounds like:
We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Adding Harmony and Fullness With Additional Notes
In the third version of We Wish You a Merry Christmas,, I’ve created some depth by adding some extra notes for the right hand to play, always with the melody note as the highest note. The bass line remains the same, and you never have to play more than three notes in total — one or two with the right hand and one with the bass — at any one time.
And here’s what is sounds like:
We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Alternative Version With Walking Bass
This final version of We Wish You A Merry Christmas uses a walking bass style for the left hand, adding a little more movement.
Here’s how it sounds:
We Wish You A Merry Christmas: Chord Sheet
Finally, here’s a chord sheet and lyrics for those who prefer it.
That’s it for now. Happy playing!
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Series Index: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
Silent Night: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
November 27, 2006
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Silent Night: An Introduction
Silent Night is written and played in the key of C Major, and has a 3/4 (waltz) time signature (as does Away in a Manger).
Silent Night: Main Melody
Several short phrases in each verse are repeated.
The first phrase, to which the words “Silent Night” are sung, is repeated twice. The third and fourth lines have the same 4-bar melody.
Here’s the complete melody written out:
Those notes are: G A G : E : G A G : E : D D : B : C C : G : A A : C B A : G A G : E : A A : C B A : G A G : E : D D : F D B : C : E : C G E : G F D : C
And here’s what it sounds like:
Note that there are a number of places with a similar rhythm, formed by a dotted crotchet (quarter note) followed by a quaver (eighth note) and a crochet (quarter note). These take up one bar’s worth of time. Imagine that the bar is split into 6 half-beats. The first note (dotted crochet/quarter-note) takes 3 of these; the second note (quaver/eighth note) takes just 1 of these; the final crochet (quarter note) takes the remaining 2 half-beats.
Fingering
Here are some suggestions:
- Start on the 4th finger and play naturally.
- On the D in the fifth bar, start on your 5th (little) finger and run naturally
- Play the A of the 9th bar with your 3rd (middle) finger, the notes should then run naturally. This phrase repeats.
- Play the D of the 17th bar with your 3rd (middle) finger.
- You have time to move your whole hand between bar 20 and 21, to play the C with your 5th (little) finger.
Silent Night: Single Note Bass Line
Below is a simple bass line for the carol using just one note. It’s written so that you only have to play one note per bar, and in fact there are only three different notes used: C, F and G.
And here’s what it sounds like:
Silent Night: Adding Harmony And Fullness With Chords
In the third version of Silent Night, I’ve added two-note chords to the right hand, always with the melody note as the highest note. The bass line remains the same.
And here’s what is sounds like:
Silent Night: Alternative Versions
The final two versions of Silent Night use some alternative left-hand chord structures to give the piece a different feel. They may prove off-putting if you are accompanying singers (depending on the situation) but if you are playing the carol on its own for enjoyment or performance, you may find one or both are interesting alternatives. See how you like them!
Here’s how it sounds:
And here’s the second version:
Silent Night: Lead/Chord Sheet
Finally, here’s a very simple lead sheet for Silent Night. Notice that you only need three chords to play it: C major, F major, and G major:
Silent Night: Video Tutorials
Want more ideas and inspiration for playing simple versions of Silent Night? Check out our video:
That’s it for now. Happy playing!
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Series Index: Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fidelis): Mastering Christmas Carols on the Piano and Keyboard
November 27, 2006
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The second carol I’ll look at in our series on mastering Christmas Carols on Piano and Keyboard is “O Come All Ye Faithful”. It’s very famous, not least because the tune has been used for other less religious chants in schools, football fields, and queues, to name a few places!
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Introduction
O Come All Ye Faithful is written and played in the key of G Major.
Main Melody
Unlike O Little Town of Bethlehem there are no repeating melody lines in the verse or chorus. Here’s the written score:
I recommend playing it through to get a feel for it. Note the occasional dotted crotchet (quarter note) and quaver (eighth note) combination.
