During Advent nearly everyone wants to play a Christmas song – ideally under the tree, with the whole family. You can do that after just a few weeks: many Christmas songs need only two or three chords. Here they are, sorted by how many chords you need.
Two chords: C and G7
CG7- Lasst uns froh und munter sein – a short, cheerful German song for St Nicholas’ Day
- Still, still, still – a calm lullaby from Salzburg
- Was soll das bedeuten – a shepherds’ song in three-four time
- I Saw Three Ships – an old English carol that sticks in your head
- Il est né, le divin Enfant – a cheerful French carol
- Am Weihnachtsbaum die Lichter brennen and Tochter Zion
Three chords: C, F and G7
FAdd F and you can play most of the well-known Christmas songs. F is the third chord many kids learn – after that, these songs are open to you:
- Alle Jahre wieder
- Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht (Silent Night)
- Jingle Bells
- Ihr Kinderlein, kommet
- O du fröhliche
- Joy to the World
- O Come, All Ye Faithful (in German: Herbei, o ihr Gläub’gen) and The First Nowell
When a chord is too hard
Any song can be moved to another key. In the song, choose a new one under “Key” – the star marks the key with the easiest chords for your instrument, and the melody and tab move along. “Easy chords” also swaps hard chords for easier relatives, such as G7 instead of G.
No chords yet? One string is enough
If you are just starting, you can also pluck a melody on a single string: the numbers only tell you which fret your finger goes on. The page with all Christmas songs has three songs written out for one string, made for your instrument.
Play songs