| Many beautiful beginner piano songs and Christmas | | | | Practice playing this melody with your right hand until |
| carols can be played with just a handful of piano | | | | you can play it from memory. Or, if you prefer, you |
| chords. Our previous article in the Piano Chords for | | | | can copy the tune notes out onto your printout of the |
| Beginners series gave easy piano chords for Silent | | | | Away in a Manger Chord Accompaniment below. |
| Night. The beginner piano chords for Away in a | | | | Away in a Manger Chord Accompaniment |
| Manger are also simple -- we only need three Major | | | | Now here are the piano chords to play with the tune |
| chords. | | | | of Away in a Manger. Play the chords with your left |
| Away in a Manger: Three Major Chords | | | | hand on the first beat of each bar, while you play the |
| Major chords are just three notes played together with | | | | melody with your right hand. (In the second last bar, |
| the fifth finger, the third finger and the first finger | | | | play the extra D Major chord on the third beat of this |
| (thumb) of the left hand. For this Christmas carol we | | | | bar.) |
| only need the following three Major chords: | | | | A- ][ way in a ][ Manger no ][ crib for a ][ bed; |
| -- G Major: G B D | | | | -----][G----------][G----------][C----------][G----- |
| -- C Major: C E G | | | | The ][ little Lord ][ Jesus laid ][ down his sweet ][ head; |
| -- D Major: D F# A | | | | -----][D----------][D----------][G----------][G------ |
| Practice playing these three chords in the two octaves | | | | The ][ stars in the ][ bright sky looked ][ down where |
| below Middle C on your keyboard and get used to the | | | | he ][ lay; |
| finger positions used in these common chords. | | | | -----][G----------][G----------][C----------][G----- |
| | | | The ][ little Lord ][ Jesus a- ][ sleep on the ][ hay. |
| Away in a Manger Melody | | | | -----][D----------][G---------][C--------D--][G----- |
| The melody of Away in the Manger starts on the D | | | | This Away in a Manger arrangement is a very simple |
| note that is nine notes above Middle C. Begin with the | | | | piano chord accompaniment. However, there is so |
| fifth finger of your right hand on the D. | | | | much more that you can learn to do! |
| In the following section, the ][ symbols represent bar | | | | So Many More Beautiful Chords |
| lines separating the bars in this melody. There are | | | | There are many different types of piano chords, such |
| three quarter-note or crotchet beats in every bar. | | | | as Major, Minor, Seventh, Sixth, Augmented and |
| A- ][ way in a ][ Manger no ][ crib for a ][ bed; | | | | Diminished chords. There are simple relationships |
| D ][ D C B ][ B A G ][ G F# E ][ D | | | | between these various chord types and it is possible |
| The ][ little Lord ][ Jesus laid ][ down his sweet ][ head; | | | | to create all these chords without learning dozens of |
| D ][ D E D ][ D A F# ][ E D G ][ B | | | | chords off by heart or counting up endless half-steps |
| The ][ stars in the ][ bright sky looked ][ down where | | | | or semitones! And if you learn to read your music |
| he ][ lay; | | | | notes too, you can access an amazing array of simple |
| D ][ D C B ][ B A G ][ G F# E ][ D | | | | popular piano books and learn to play your favorite |
| The ][ little Lord ][ Jesus a- ][ sleep on the ][ hay. | | | | music easily with your own unique accompaniments! |
| D ][ C B A ][ B A G ][ A E F# ][ G | | | | |