| In this free beginners keyboard lesson on Silent Night, | | | | Sleep in ][ heavenly ][ peace. ][ |
| learn to play this classic Christmas carol with just three | | | | C G E ][ G F D ][ C ][ |
| simple piano chords. This is just one of many beautiful | | | | Practice playing this until you can remember the whole |
| beginner piano tunes that you can learn to play using | | | | tune. Alternatively, copy the tune notes onto your |
| only a few basic chords. | | | | printout of the Silent Night Piano Chords below: write |
| In this Piano Chords for Beginners article series, I will | | | | the tune notes into the blank lines below the chord |
| introduce the most common piano chords and show | | | | lines. |
| how they can be used to make simple | | | | Silent Night Piano Chords |
| accompaniments for some famous old Christmas | | | | Here are the piano chords to accompany the tune of |
| carols. Look for the other articles in this series: | | | | Silent Night. As you play the melody, play these chords |
| -- Away in a Manger | | | | with your left hand in a regular rhythm on the first |
| -- with G Major, C Major and D Major | | | | beats of the bars. |
| -- Good King Wenceslas -- with Bb Major, C Major, F | | | | Silent ][ night, ][ holy ][ night! ][ |
| Major and D Minor | | | | C-------][C-------][C-------][C-------][ |
| -- O Christmas Tree -- with C Major, F Major, D Minor | | | | All is ][ calm, ][ all is ][ bright, ][ |
| and C Seventh | | | | G-------][G-------][C--------][C-------][ |
| Silent Night: Three Major Chords | | | | 'Round yon ][ Virgin ][ Mother and ][ Child.][ |
| For Silent Night we only need the following three Major | | | | F--------][F--------][C--------][C--------][ |
| chords: | | | | Holy ][ Infant so ][ tender and ][ mild, ][ |
| -- C Major: C E G | | | | F--------][F---------][C--------][C--------][ |
| -- F Major: F A C | | | | Sleep in ][ heavenly ][ pea - ][ ce, ][ |
| -- G Major: G B D | | | | G-------][G-------][C-------][C-------][ |
| Play the three notes together with the fifth finger, the | | | | Sleep in ][ heavenly ][ peace. ][ |
| third finger and the first finger (thumb) of your left hand. | | | | C-------][G-------][C-------][ |
| Play these chords in the two octaves below Middle C | | | | But wait, there's more! |
| on your piano. Practice until you are familiar with these | | | | This simple arrangement only uses Major chords but |
| chords and can find them quickly on your keyboard. | | | | there are many other types of chords that can add |
| Tune of Silent Night | | | | beauty and contrast to your piano accompaniments. |
| Play the following melody of Silent Night with your right | | | | For example, there are Minor, Seventh, Diminished, |
| hand, beginning on G in the octave above Middle C. | | | | Augmented and Suspended piano chords. Some piano |
| Start with the second finger of your right hand on the | | | | chord tutors expect you to individually memorize these |
| G. There are three quarter-note or crotchet beats in | | | | dozens of chords -- an overwhelming task! Other |
| each bar in this tune. The ][ symbol represents a bar | | | | systems expect you to work out the notes of each |
| line separating the bars. | | | | chord by counting up oodles of half-steps or |
| Silent ][ night, ][ holy ][ night! ][ | | | | semitones. But there is a much easier way! |
| G A G ][ E ][ G A G ][ E ][ | | | | The simple relationships between the chord types are |
| All is ][ calm, ][ all is ][ bright, ][ | | | | the key to an easy technique for working out any type |
| D D ][ B ][ C C ][ G ][ | | | | of piano chord that you want. And you can also take |
| 'Round yon ][ Virgin ][ Mother and ][ Child.][ | | | | advantage of the huge range of music in Hal |
| A A ][ C B A ][ G A G ][ E ][ | | | | Leonard's excellent Fake Book series if you learn how |
| Holy ][ Infant so ][ tender and ][ mild, ][ | | | | to read the notes on at least the treble staff. It has |
| A A ][ C B A ][ G A G ][ E ][ | | | | never been easier to learn to play beginner piano |
| Sleep in ][ heavenly ][ pea- ][ ce, ][ | | | | songs with your own unique style of accompaniment! |
| D D ][ F D B ][ C ][ E ][ | | | | |