How do you play We Wish You a Merry Christmas on the piano?

We Wish You a Merry Christmas piano notes

We Wish You a Merry Christmas starts D G G A G F# E E. It is in G major, so it uses one black key: F#, just left of G. The three "we wish you" lines climb, with "wish" on G, then A, then B, and the song ends D D E A F# G.

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.

We wish you a merry Christmas
D G G A G F# E E
D4WG4TG4TA4YG4TF#45E4EE4E
We wish you a merry Christmas
E A A B A G F# D
E4EA4YA4YB4UA4YG4TF#45D4W
We wish you a merry Christmas
D B B C B A G E
D4WB4UB4UC5IB4UA4YG4TE4E
And a happy New Year
D D E A F# G
D4WD4WE4EA4YF#45G4T

How to play it

Put your right thumb on D, just right of middle C. Fingers 1 to 5 then rest on D E F# G A, so your third finger plays the black key F#.
Play D G G A G F# E E with fingers 1 4 4 5 4 3 2 2.
The second line, E A A B A G F# D, climbs to B: let your hand move up one key for it, then come back down.
The third line, D B B C B A G E, reaches the C above middle C. The last line, D D E A F# G, ends on G.

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.

關鍵事實

層級	中等
Notes in the melody	30
Keys	7: D4 E4 F#4 G4 A4 B4 C5
Black keys	F#4
Lowest and highest note	D4 – C5
First note	D4
Melody by	Traditional

The notes in do re mi

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

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

About the song

We Wish You a Merry Christmas comes from the West Country of England. It likely began with a custom in which rich people gave treats, such as figgy pudding, to the carol singers at their door.

The carol was little known outside the West Country until 1935. That year, the composer Arthur Warrell arranged it for his choir, the University of Bristol Madrigal Singers, and Oxford University Press published it.

常見問題

What is figgy pudding?

A raisin or plum pudding, not always one with figs in it. In the carol, the singers ask for it, and they will not go until they get some.

Which black key does We Wish You a Merry Christmas use?

F#, the black key between F and G. It is the only black key in the song.