Music brings people together, and there’s no better time than Christmas to get friends or family around the piano for a sing-song. Christmas songs are lots of fun; the only downside is that once you play one, people will ask for another and another. So, you have to be prepared.
Here’s a list of the best easy Christmas songs for piano:
Jingle Bells
It’s hard to believe that one of the most loved Christmas songs had no initial connection to Christmas, but it’s true.
“Jingle Bells,” originally copyrighted as “The One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1857, is a song allegedly about sleigh races in Medford, Massachusetts, written by James Lord Pierpont. A few years later, in the 1860s, the song became associated with winter and Christmas. “Jingle Bells” is potentially the first-ever Christmas record on an Edison cylinder in 1889 (the recording is lost).
Whatever the true intention of the song, “Jingle Bells” makes people happy, and it’s now synonymous with Christmas.
What I like most about “Jingle Bells” is that the melody is so iconic; it has the same impact no matter how you play it. You can play it with root notes in the left hand, octaves, basic triads, or Alberti bass. You can even play the melody with both hands; whatever you do, it’s unmistakably Christmas.
Joy to the World
“Joy to the World,” written by the English hymnist Isaac Watts, dates all the way back to 1719. “Joy to the World,” as we know and love it today, comes from Lowell Mason’s 1848 arrangement.
If you need any evidence to support just how much we love this Christmas classic, it’s the most published Christmas song in North America since the 20th century.
I love the melody because it’s flowing; it sounds great, and it’s a lot of fun to play. Despite the flowing movement of the melody, it’s easy enough for beginners to play because it’s like running a major scale.
Another interesting thing about this song is that it’s often written with a 2/4 time signature. In many ways, it’s just the same as 4/4, but writing something in 2/4 ensures the first beat of each bar is strong, creating a strong/weak/strong/weak/weak pattern. In 4/4, you could end up with a pattern like this: strong/weak/weak/weak/strong/weak/weak/weak.
It’s a lovely tune and a valuable lesson.
Silent Night
Franz Gruber wrote “Silent Night” in 1818, and there have been over 137,000 known recordings since then. The combination of Gruber’s music and Joseph Mohr’s lyrics creates one of the most beautiful Christmas songs of all time.
Interestingly, for a period, their timeless creation was attributed to other composers, including Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. A manuscript discovered in 1995 confirmed that Mohr wrote the lyrics in 1816, and Gruber wrote the melody in 1818.
“Silent Night” is in 3/4, and it’s great for beginners because you can arpeggiate basic triad chords, playing one note per beat, and it sounds lovely under the melody. The melody is very expressive; once you get used to the notes, you can try playing it in 6/8 with a rubato feel and really drag the ending of each phrase.
It can become quite an impressive and emotive song to play.
Let It Snow
“Let It Snow” is far more modern than the previous songs, and it’s one of my favorite Christmas carols. Written in 1945 by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, “Let It Snow” was inspired by a heatwave in Hollywood. The song doesn’t conjure up images of sunny Hollywood, but I can imagine the desire for snow on an unbearably hot day!
Although the song doesn’t directly mention Christmas, the first recorded release by Vaughn Monroe became an instant Christmas hit.
In a similar fashion to “Joy to the World,” “Let It Snow” has a melody that cascades down the major scale, making it sound trickier than it is. Because the melody is so flowing, you don’t need to do much underneath it; you can play a note/chord/octave on the first and third beats of each bar, and it sounds awesome.
If you want to push yourself a little more, try doubling the melody or adding descending basslines with your left hand.
Christmas Time Is Here
There are some movies you expect to see every Christmas and some music you expect to hear. For me, it’s Vince Guaraldi’s epic album, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
I’m a huge Vince Guaraldi fan. I love his lyrical style, and I have this Christmas album on repeat at times over the holidays (I’m serious). A Charlie Brown Christmas is packed with great tunes and outstanding arrangements, but “Christmas Time Is Here” is my favorite.
Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson wrote the song for the CBS television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas 1965.
What I like most about this standard is that it’s more somber than most but still sweet and warm, like Christmas. I like it for beginners because it introduces chords that aren’t diatonic to the scale, and it’s a good lesson in harmony.
But don’t worry about playing chords for now; just play root notes with your left hand and get used to those harmonies.
The Christmas Song
“The Christmas Song” was written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Torme, and it has one of the most instantly recognizable opening lines in music history. As soon as you hear the words ‘chestnuts roasting on an open fire,’ you know it’s Christmas.
Nat King Cole famously recorded “The Christmas Song” twice in 1946, much to the dismay of Capitol Records. That dismay was eased when Cole’s second recording, featuring a small string section, dominated the pop and R&B charts.
Nat King Cole had a beautiful voice but was also one of the slickest piano players of his time. “The Christmas Song” was the perfect vehicle for Cole’s sophisticated style.
“The Christmas Song” is a little more harmonically sophisticated than the average Christmas carol, too. But the reason I suggest it for beginners is that you can strip it back to the bare bones, and it still sounds lovely.
Additionally, it’s a song that will stay with you for life; each year, you’ll play a more advanced version and maybe even reach Nat King Cole’s level of slickness.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
I said I loved Vince Guaraldi and A Charlie Brown Christmas, so here’s another favorite from the album.
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” was written by two founding members of Methodism, Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, around 1739. The melody comes from William Hayman Cummings’s adaptation of Mendelssohn’s secular music from Festgesang.
The Mendelssohn element is clear to hear, and it’s one of the loveliest songs I’ve ever heard a choir sing. The classical harmonies are beautiful, and beginners can easily mimic them with simple single-note bass movements.
However, the main reason I added this song is to encourage beginners to listen to the Vince Guaraldi version. Most advanced players will never sound like Vince Guaraldi, so there’s no pressure to do so, but listen to how he swings. It’s a great example of how you can spice up a traditional tune.
Carol of the Bells
There are very few occasions when I feel the need to describe a Christmas song as epic; this is one.
“Carol of the Bells” is based on a Ukrainian New Year’s song called “Shchedryk.” The composer Mykola Leontovych wrote the music around 1916, and Peter Wilhousky added English lyrics in 1936.
There have been many popular recordings of this song over the decades; one of the most popular comes from John Williams and the Home Alone soundtrack.
“Carol of the Bells” has a few distinct character traits not often found in Christmas songs. Firstly, it’s darker than the typical Christmas carol, and depending on the context, it can be either soothing or eerie, as many film composers have shown.
Secondly, the time signature is 3/4, but there’s a three-against-two (3:2) rhythm. It’s when you fit three beats in an equal time of two, making the song metrically bistable. Polyrhythms like 3:2 are a powerful way of adding rhythmic variation to any tune.
Frosty the Snowman
Christmas is a time of year when we can all act a little silly, no matter what age we are. There’s no better song to unleash our silly sides than “Frosty the Snowman.” It’s cheesy, it’s childish, it’s fun, and we all love it.
Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson wrote “Frosty the Snowman” in 1950, and there were two significant recordings that same year. The first was by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys, and the second was by Jimmy Durante.
Christmas is a time for make-believe, and “Frosty the Snowman” embodies that spirit by telling the tale of a snowman who comes to life thanks to a magic silk hat.
Admittedly, fun is my main reason for adding this song, but from a technical point of view, it introduces beginners to the ii-V-I turnaround. Fun and learning in one song; you can’t ask for more.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
From one whimsically playful song to another! “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is the ultimate Christmas Eve song for children; it’s the song that has them counting down the hours till Christmas Day (or until they catch Santa Claus under the tree).
The fictional character Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created by Robert L. May and first appeared in 1939. Since then, the character and story of Santa Claus’s youngest reindeer have been adapted for countless TV and film projects.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is another Christmas song that we can play with single notes in the left hand, so forget about chords for now. The melody does all of the heavy lifting in this song, so focus on nailing the melody and a simple bassline with some chromatic steps to add some more tension.
White Christmas
Very few songs, never mind Christmas songs, achieve the mainstream success that “White Christmas” did.
Irving Berlin wrote the song in 1942 for the musical film Holiday Inn. With the unmistakable Bing Crosby on vocals, the song soon racked up award after award, including a Grammy Award and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
It also topped the Billboard chart for 11 weeks and sold over 50 million singles. Those single sales mean “White Christmas” is the best-selling single of all time (physical sales).
There are two reasons I encourage beginners to learn “White Christmas.” The first reason is that Irving Berlin is one of the most significant songwriters in the history of American music. His work accounts for a large portion of the Great American Songbook. The second reason is that, like “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas” will stay with you for life.
O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
Once again, I’m returning to A Charlie Brown Christmas and my love of Vince Guaraldi’s playing.
“O Tannenbaum” is an old German folk song and another that had no initial connection to Christmas. The song talks about the evergreen nature of a fir tree, referencing it as a symbol of consistency and persistence through changing seasons.
Several English translations have replaced Tannenbaum (fir tree) with Christmas Tree. The song may date as far back as the 16th century, with the common lyrics by Ernst Anschütz in 1824 and English translations later.
Beginners can play “O Christmas Tree” with basic triads in the bass and a single-note melody with the right hand. The thing I like about it is that it’s slightly darker than expected because it often replaces the IV chord with the minor ii chord.
And, of course, I recommend listening to the Vince Guaraldi version!
Conclusion
There’s something magic about Christmas; it’s not fancy food and expensive gifts; it’s being around people we love (if we’re lucky). Playing some Christmas songs on your piano or keyboard can make that special time even more memorable for everyone, and it’s easy, so why not?
