Silver Bells: A Simple Arrangement Adding 3rds & Echos to create a
simple arrangement. Use any kind of left hand
accompaniment in 3/4 such as a swing bass.

Did you know you can watch over 300 of my short videos on piano playing at my YouTube channel? Click on
http://www.youtube.com/user/chordsgalore

“Christmas Time Is Here” is the theme song of the Charlie Brown Christmas special on TV that plays every year. It was written and performed by Vince Guaraldi from San Francisco. In this video I walk you through the chord progressions which are pretty unusual due to the polytonality.

For over 300 YouTube videos on piano playing please go to my channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/chordsgalore

A few arranging ideas for piano on the Christmas Carol “Hark The Herald Angels Sing”

Angels From The Realms Of Glory - Arranging Ideas For Piano. By simply using inversions of the few chords that are used in the song, plus a very simple bass part made out of octaves, and by altering the rhythm somewhat, we can create a joyful version of this great old song.

Over 300 free piano lesson videos on Duane’s YouTube Channel!

O Come All Ye Faithful is one of the most-used Christmas Carols of all time. Here are a few ideas for arranging it on the piano. Please watch this 10-minute video:

Arranging Christmas Carols Course

By using the Alberti bass high on the keyboard to make a light, airy-like sound in the first part of the song, then using octave bass runs in the left hand in the 2nd part of the song, we can create some good contrast that makes for an interesting arrangement of “Angels We Have Heard On High”. Watch this short video on this classic Christmas Carol:

The Alberti bass is just one style out of scores you can use in your piano playing. For a full course in applying various styles please see How To Dress Up “Naked Music” On The Piano

Knowing musical form can give a huge boost to learning songs, playing an instrument, and just understanding music. Form is the skeleton of music on which the flesh and the nerves and ligaments hang. Watch this short video on how knowing musical form can speed up learning a song such as “Rudy The Red-Nose”:

Click here: What You Need To Know About Musical Form

Playing “Away In a Manger” On The Piano is easy, since it only uses three chords — the primary chords of I, IV and V. By using just two techniques - an Alberti bass and an ostinato — we can make a simple yet pleasant arrangement of it on the piano. Watch this short video:

How To Play Beautiful Christmas Carols On The Piano

In this piano video I demonstrate a couple fairly unusual chord progressions for the old Christmas Carol “Jingle Bells”. The chord progression makes use of both a different rhythm and a different chord sequence. Watch:

Then click here: Christmas Carols Galore!

“What Child Is This?” is a very popular Christmas song written about 150 years ago to the tune of “Greensleeves”. It uses a chord progression similar to chord sequnces I used to play as a small child - maybe you did too. Watch this short piano video:

Click here for “Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols!”

Here’s a fun way to play “Joy To The World” by Handel. He wrote it using only the 8 notes of the diatonic scale - nothing higher, nothing lower. It was written in the key of D, but let’s play it in the key of C just to keep it simple for newer piano players. Watch this short video:

Click here for a full course in playing Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols!

I still remember the feeling I got when I was a little boy listening to my folks sing Silent Night in the church choir at Pioneer Methodist Church in Auburn California. There was something mystical about it — like a dream. I can’t describe the feeling, but perhaps you have experienced something similar — the feeling that this is other-worldly and hugely important, but at the same time peaceful and serene.

That’s the feeling I was aiming for in this arrangement — very thoughtful and devotional and peaceful.

Watch this short video on arranging ideas for Silent Night and perhaps it will give you some ideas you can use too:

And if you haven’t already taken the course on arranging Christmas Carols, click here for info:

“The Secret of Arranging
Spectacularly Beautiful
Christmas Carols!”

PS Have you heard about The Case of the Hypocritical Reindeer?

Sometimes if you voice chords in 4ths instead of 3rds you create a more contemporary sound. But it’s not real easy — you have to make sure to get the critical notes of a triad included, and that is often a two-part proceedure.

Watch this short video on some ideas for “O Christmas Tree”:

Then please go to Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols for a series of full DVD courses on arranging Christmas Carols on the piano.

If you wanted to play “O Little Town Of Bethlehem” without depending on the sheet music, what would you do? Here are a few ideas:

Click here: O Little Town Of Bethlehem

Like any song, there are countless variations you can use on “Auld Lang Syne”, and since it is New Years Eve as I’m writing this, I thought I might share with you one way to add color to everybody’s favorite New Years Eve song:

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne?

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my jo,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak’ a cup o’kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

Translated to more-or-less modern day English it reads something like this:

The Days of Yore

Should we forget our former friends

By whom we set great store?

Should we forget the friends we’ve met

And the brave days of yore?

Chorus:

The days of yore. My dear

The days of yore,

We’ll tilt the jug and drain the mug

to the brave days of yore.

Melodies (the tune of a song) are made from scales, and sometimes purely from scales.
In “The First Noel”, for example, the melody is made entirely from the diatonic scale. I demonstrate it in the key of C, but the same would be true in any other major key. Watch this short video:

Lots of great courses on this type of thing over at our catalog.

“Silent Night”, like many songs, can be harmonized using just 3 chords. But there’s no limit to the number of chords that could be used — it is only limited to your imagination.
Watch this short video:

If you are interested in arranging carols like this, come on over to How To Play Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols.

Do you know how to use parallelisms in your piano playing? Parallelisms can create some lovely sounds in most any type of music. Watch this short video where I demonstrate how to use them in some Christmas Carols:

If you would like to be able to arrange Christmas Carols using a wide variety of techniques, please go to How To Play Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols On The Piano!

When you play familiar songs on the piano, you don’t have to play them the same way everyone else plays them. You can put your own spin on them — your own personal touch and express your emotions. It’s not hard — just ask yourself “How else can I harmonize this melody note than the traditional way?” “How else can I change the rhythm or the melody or the chords? How else can I voice the chords? Arpeggios? Block chords?”

Watch this short video and I think you will start coming up with your own ways of arranging songs in a fairly short period of time:

For a complete course in this sort of thing, please go to How To Play Spectaculary Beautiful Christmas Carols!

    
"Joy To The World" by Handel uses just the 8 notes of the diatonic scale
descending, and can be played with just the 3 primary chords. It was
written in the key of D, but to make it easier to understand, I
demonstrate it in the key of C using some simple rhythm.