How do you play Silent Night on the piano?

Silent Night piano notes

Silent Night starts G A G E, G A G E for "silent night, holy night", then D D B, C C G. It uses only white keys, from middle C up to the high F, and it moves slowly, so it is a good first carol. The rhythm rocks gently, like a lullaby.

Play it on the virtual piano

The notes, line by line

Each line shows the letters to play, then each key with its octave: C4 is middle C. The box under a key is the computer key that plays it on the virtual piano.

Silent night, holy night
G A G E G A G E
G4TA4YG4TE4EG4TA4YG4TE4E
All is calm, all is bright
D D B C C G
D5OD5OB4UC5IC5IG4T
Round yon virgin mother and child
A A C B A G A G E
A4YA4YC5IB4UA4YG4TA4YG4TE4E
Holy infant so tender and mild
A A C B A G A G E
A4YA4YC5IB4UA4YG4TA4YG4TE4E
Sleep in heavenly peace
D D F D B C E
D5OD5OF5[D5OB4UC5IE5P
Sleep in heavenly peace
C G E G F D C
C5IG4TE4EG4TF4RD4WC4Q

How to play it

Put your right thumb on E, so fingers 1 to 4 rest on E F G A. Play G A G E twice, with fingers 3 4 3 1.
For "all is calm, all is bright", move your hand up: D D B, C C G. Play the high D with your third finger and B with your thumb, then move back down for G.
The next two lines are the same: A A C B A, G A G E.
The end climbs to the high F: D D F D B, then C and the high E for "peace". The last line comes down C G E G F D C, to middle C.

Fingers have numbers: 1 is the thumb, 2 the index finger, 3 the middle finger, 4 the ring finger and 5 the little finger. In the virtual piano, press Listen to hear the rhythm first, and pick a slower speed while you learn.

Key facts

Level	Medium
Notes in the melody	46
Keys	11: C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 C5 D5 E5 F5
Black keys	None
Lowest and highest note	C4 – F5
First note	G4
Melody by	Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818

The notes in do re mi

In fixed do, C is always Do, as in Spanish, French and Italian.

Sol La Sol Mi Sol La Sol Mi
Re Re Si Do Do Sol
La La Do Si La Sol La Sol Mi
La La Do Si La Sol La Sol Mi
Re Re Fa Re Si Do Mi
Do Sol Mi Sol Fa Re Do

About the song

Joseph Mohr wrote the words of Stille Nacht in 1816, and Franz Xaver Gruber wrote the music in 1818.

They first sang it on Christmas Eve 1818, at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, near Salzburg in Austria, with a guitar. UNESCO declared the carol an intangible cultural heritage in 2011.

Questions

Is Silent Night easy on the piano?

Yes, for a carol. It is slow, it uses only white keys, and the same line comes back. The jumps up to the high D and the high F are the hard parts.

Who sang Silent Night first?

Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber, who wrote it. They sang it together on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, Austria, with a guitar.