Traditional Welsh folk tune C major 4/4 Easy 0:34 Both hands
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Deck the Halls is a bright, bouncy carol and a very good one for beginners: in this easy version, in C major, every note is a white key. The verse has four lines, and three of them begin with the same five notes walking down from G to C, so most of the song is learned once you know its first two bars. The 'fa la la' answers use a dotted rhythm and quick eighth notes, which is the real skill to practise here. The left hand plays one or two long notes per bar, mostly C and G. Listen once to catch the bounce of the rhythm, then work through it line by line in Practice mode.
Put the thumb on middle C and the hand covers C to G for most of the song. A few notes fall outside: the B below middle C at the end of the first two lines (bars 4 and 8), the A, B and high C of 'fa la la, la la la' in bar 11, and the four As in bar 15.
The left hand stays on C and G below middle C: one whole note per bar, or two half notes where the chord changes. In bar 11 it steps from C down to A, and in bar 15 it plays F then G before the final C.
The fa la la in bars 3 and 7: four quick notes, D E F D, then a long E and a short D. Say 'fa-la-la-la la, la' as you play. Bar 15 replaces it with four repeated As - keep them light and even. The lines that open with a dotted rhythm (G. F in bar 1, D. E in bar 9) need a long first note and a short second one.
Thumb on C: G F E D is 5-4-3-2 and C D E C is 1-2-3-1. In bars 4 and 8 take the B with the thumb (C B C is 2-1-2), then put the thumb back on C. Bar 11 is part of the C major scale and uses its fingering: E F G A B C is 3-1-2-3-4-5, the thumb passing under after E, and bar 12, B A G, is 4-3-2.
The right-hand melody of this version, bar by bar, in letter names and in Do Ré Mi. Sharps are written #, flats b; a note held across a bar line is written once.
Melody: G F E D C D E C D E F D E D C B C G F E D C D E …
| Bar | Notes | Do Ré Mi |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G F E D | Sol Fa Mi Ré |
| 2 | C D E C | Do Ré Mi Do |
| 3 | D E F D E D | Ré Mi Fa Ré Mi Ré |
| 4 | C B C | Do Si Do |
| 5 | G F E D | Sol Fa Mi Ré |
| 6 | C D E C | Do Ré Mi Do |
| 7 | D E F D E D | Ré Mi Fa Ré Mi Ré |
| 8 | C B C | Do Si Do |
| 9 | D E F D | Ré Mi Fa Ré |
| 10 | E F G D | Mi Fa Sol Ré |
| 11 | E F G A B C | Mi Fa Sol La Si Do |
| 12 | B A G | Si La Sol |
| 13 | G F E D | Sol Fa Mi Ré |
| 14 | C D E C | Do Ré Mi Do |
| 15 | A A A A G F | La La La La Sol Fa |
| 16 | E D C | Mi Ré Do |
The chords this arrangement holds for at least two bars, read from the score with the root in the bass. Each one opens its page: the notes, every inversion and the fingering, playable on a piano.
The piece is in C major: all the chords of the key
The tune is Welsh. It is Nos Galan, which means New Year's Eve, a melody long sung in Wales with Welsh words to see the old year out. The English Christmas words, with their boughs of holly and Yuletide carol, came in the 19th century and are usually credited to the Scottish songwriter Thomas Oliphant.
Fa la la has no meaning: it is a refrain sung for its sound, like the nonsense refrains that were already common in English part-songs of the 16th century. In Deck the Halls it carries half the song, since every line of words is answered by a line of fa la las, and that is a large part of why the carol is so easy to sing in a group.
This transcription: Welsh New Year's Eve tune "Nos Galan", as it is sung today with the English Christmas words: the whole verse in C major; left hand by GOONS Studio. Transcribed by GOONS Studio from the original work, which is in the public domain.
For kids: Deck the Halls by colors, on a rainbow piano that lights the next key and waits.
Easy Version · G major
Easy Version, Chorus · C major
Easy Version · C major
Easy Version · A minorThe full piano studio opens this score with your MIDI keyboard and sustain pedal, records what you play and exports it as a MIDI file. It comes with the GOONS Studio subscription - start with the 7-day free trial, no card required.
In C major the first line is G F E D, C D E C, D E F D E D, C B C (Sol Fa Mi Ré, Do Ré Mi Do, Ré Mi Fa Ré Mi Ré, Do Si Do). The second line repeats it; the third goes D E F D, E F G D, E F G A B C, B A G; the last line ends A A A A G F, E D C. Every bar is in the Notes section.
Yes, level 2 of 5 here. In C major it uses only white keys and the right hand stays close to one position. The dotted rhythms and the quick fa la la notes are what take a little practice.
Fa la la is a refrain with no meaning, sung for its sound. Nonsense refrains like it were common in English part-songs of the 16th century; in this carol each line of words is answered by a line of fa la las.
The tune is: it is the Welsh New Year's Eve song Nos Galan. The English Christmas words came later, in the 19th century, and are usually credited to the Scottish songwriter Thomas Oliphant.