How to Play We Wish You a Merry Christmas on Piano

If you are looking for a beginner Christmas carol to play for the holidays, you may want to learn how to play We Wish You A Merry Christmas on piano.  Impress your friends as you gather around the piano during the holiday season and sing this traditional Christmas song.  This song is quickly learned in a few easy steps and with a little practice.  

The origins and composer of the song, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, cannot be pinpointed.  However, the song can be traced to 16th-century England.http://www.carols.org.uk/we_wish_you_a_merry_christmas.htm  Carolers would sing for the wealthy during the Christmas season and would be given treats in return.  One of these treats was the figgy pudding that is mentioned in the song.  The figgy pudding was a recipe similar to the Christmas puddings of today and included figs, eggs, butter, and other ingredients.http://www.carols.org.uk/we_wish_you_a_merry_christmas.htm 

Step 1:  Find Middle C Position

In this song, the right and the left hand will share the melody and the song will be played in the middle C position.  The first thing you will need to do is locate the middle C.  If you look at the keyboard of the piano, you will notice that the black keys are grouped in twos and threes.  The white key directly to the left of a group of two black keys is the C key.  Middle C can be found just below the name brand of the piano, or directly in the middle of the keyboard.http://www.edly.com/pianobasics.html#c

Place the thumbs of both hand on the middle C.  Gently curve your hands over the keys as if you were holding a ball and relax your wrists.http://www.jazclass.aust.com/piano/default.htm  The fingers of each hand are numbered from one to five, starting with the thumb.  

Step 2:  Play The Melody

If you do not know the lyrics or the tune of the song, you may want to learn them to help with the correct rhythm.  The melody may be played by pressing the finger with the corresponding number in rhythm with the tune.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHgRB8Go6UQ 

Right hand:    1121         22321        334321          2     1

Left hand:    4        233 3          24 4            3 44 3     2

Practice until you can play the song up to tempo and sing along.

Step 3: Add Flare To The Ending

Once you have mastered the song in its simplest form, you may want to add some flare to the end.  Do this by playing the last notes of the song and then following it with a quick 1, 3, 5 on the right hand.  Reach across with your left hand and play the C note on the octave above.  You can play it with any finger, but the index finger (2) may be the most convenient. You can practice this part separately until you can play the song smoothly.  Put the melody together with the little flare at the end and you have a simple Christmas carol ready for the holidays.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHgRB8Go6UQ 

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