The easiest Christmas songs to play are Silent Night, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger. Each uses three chords: G, C and D7 or D, G and A7 on guitar, and C, F and G7 on piano and ukulele. Below are ten songs ranked easiest to hardest, with the chords for all three instruments and a link to the full chart with the words.
A chord count only tells you how many shapes to learn. This list also counts how many times the chords change in a verse, because that's what your hands feel. The First Noel and O Come All Ye Faithful both use seven chords, but The First Noel changes chord 46 times to O Come All Ye Faithful's 27.
The short version
Start with Silent Night: three chords, 10 changes in a verse, and a slow tempo. On guitar those are G, C and D7, all open shapes. On piano and ukulele they're C, F and G7. Six of the ten songs need no barre chord on guitar, and six are charted in G, so you can play them in a row without moving a capo.
What are the easiest Christmas songs to play?
Silent Night, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger are the easiest Christmas songs to play, with three chords each and 10 or 11 chord changes in a verse. Auld Lang Syne and Jingle Bells come next. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is the hardest of the ten, with nine chords and 39 changes.
| Song | Guitar chords | Piano and ukulele chords | Chords | Changes | Range to sing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Silent Night | G, C, D7 | C, F, G7 | 3 | 10 | Octave and a 4th |
| 2. Joy to the World | D, G, A7 | C, F, G7 | 3 | 10 | Octave |
| 3. Away in a Manger | G, C, D7 | C, F, G7 | 3 | 11 | Octave |
| 4. Auld Lang Syne | G, C, D7, Em | G, C, D7, Em | 4 | 16 | 9th |
| 5. Jingle Bells | G, C, D7, Am, A7 | C, F, G7, Dm, D7 | 5 | 18 | 9th |
| 6. O Come All Ye Faithful | G, D, C, Em, Am, A7, D7 | G, D, C, Em, Am, A7, D7 | 7 | 27 | Octave |
| 7. O Holy Night | C, F, G7, Em, B7, Am, Dm | C, F, G7, Em, B7, Am, Dm | 7 | 30 | 10th |
| 8. The First Noel | D, G, A, A7, Bm, Em, F♯m | D, G, A, A7, Bm, Em, F♯m | 7 | 46 | Octave |
| 9. Hark the Herald Angels Sing | G, D, D7, Bm, C, Em, Am, A7, E | F, C, C7, Am, B♭, Dm, Gm, G7, D | 9 | 33 | 9th |
| 10. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel | Em, G, Am, Bm, C, D, D7, B7, A7 | Em, G, Am, Bm, C, D, D7, B7, A7 | 9 | 39 | Octave |
Changes counts every time the chord changes in one verse, plus its chorus or refrain, from the chart linked in each song's name. Another chart of the same song will give a different number. Changing key doesn't change the count.
The order is fewest chords first, then fewest changes. Silent Night and Joy to the World tie on both, and Silent Night goes first because it's slower.
What makes a Christmas song easy to play?
Three things make a Christmas song easy to play: how many chord shapes it uses, how often they change, and whether any of them is a barre chord. Chord count alone can mislead you. Hark the Herald Angels Sing has nine chords and 33 changes, while The First Noel has seven chords and 46 changes.
Tempo matters too. Silent Night and Joy to the World both change chord 10 times, but Silent Night moves at two slow beats to the bar and Joy to the World at two quick ones. O Holy Night has 30 changes and more time for each, since it's played slowly with a rocking feel.
Barre chords are the other wall for a new guitarist. Bm comes up in The First Noel, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and The First Noel adds F♯m. O Holy Night needs an F, which you can play as the smaller xx3211 shape in place of the full barre.
Fewer chords don't always mean fewer changes. The First Noel has an easy version with just D, G and A7, which removes both barre chords. It still changes 41 times, so your hands get only five changes off.
Which Christmas songs use only three chords?
Silent Night, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger use only three chords, the 1, 4 and 5 chords of the key. In G they're G, C and D7. In D they're D, G and A7. In C they're C, F and G7. Jingle Bells and The First Noel also work with three.
Silent Night is simpler than even its three chords suggest. All 10 of its changes are between G and C or between G and D7, and it never goes straight from C to D7. Away in a Manger makes that move once, near the end, on "asleep on the hay." Joy to the World spends 6 of its 10 changes going between D and A7.
These are the same 1, 4 and 5 chords behind the I-IV-V progression, so what you learn here carries over to plenty of songs that aren't carols.
Jingle Bells works with G, C and D7 alone, though its chorus loses some lift without the A7. For The First Noel's three-chord version, play G for Em, D for Bm, and A7 for A and F♯m.
The ten songs, easiest first
1. Silent Night
Silent Night is the best place to start: G, C and D7 on guitar, or C, F and G7 on piano and ukulele. You only need two moves, G to C and G to D7, and nothing rushes you.
It's in 6/8, so count two slow beats to the bar and strum down once on each, or pick the bass note on beat 1 and let the chord ring. Singing it is harder. The range is the widest on this list, so for a group, see the singing section below. Here are the Silent Night chords with all three verses.
2. Joy to the World
Joy to the World uses D, G and A7 on guitar, or C, F and G7 on piano and ukulele. It has the same 10 changes as Silent Night, but it's in 2/4, so they come faster. Strum down on each beat, or alternate a bass note and a strum.
Your hands get a rest in the middle. "Let every heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing" stays on the home chord for two whole lines. Here are the Joy to the World chords with all four verses.
3. Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger uses G, C and D7 on guitar, or C, F and G7 on piano and ukulele. It's a slow waltz in 3/4: pick the bass note on beat 1, strum on beats 2 and 3, and start singing on the word "A," just before the first beat.
The carol is sung to two main tunes, and this ranking uses James Ramsey Murray's 1887 tune, the one hymnals name "Mueller." Here are the Away in a Manger chords with all three verses.
4. Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne is for New Year's Eve, not Christmas, but it comes up at the same parties. It uses G, C, D7 and Em in a slow 4/4, and the same chart works on guitar, piano and ukulele. Strum once per beat and start on "Should."
Em is the one chord beyond the usual three, and it's easy to spot: it comes under the last "auld" of each half. Here are the Auld Lang Syne chords with Burns's words and their meaning.
5. Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells uses G, C, Am and D7 in the verse, and swaps Am for A7 in the chorus. On piano and ukulele that's C, F, Dm and G7, with D7 in the chorus. The verse and chorus together have 18 changes at a brisk pace.
The chorus is the place to start, since its first line stays on G all the way through "jingle all the way." It's also the part everyone wants to sing. Here are the Jingle Bells chords for the verse and chorus.
6. O Come All Ye Faithful
O Come All Ye Faithful uses seven chords in G: G, D, C, Em, Am, A7 and D7. Every one is an open shape on guitar, and the same chart works on piano and ukulele. It's a steady 4/4 at a walking pace, with 27 changes.
On ukulele, C, Am and A7 each take one finger. The trick is the second line: A7 leads into D on "to Bethlehem," so D feels like home for a moment. Here are the O Come All Ye Faithful chords with the words.
7. O Holy Night
O Holy Night uses seven chords in C on all three instruments: C, F, G7, Em, B7, Am and Dm. It has 30 changes at a slow pace, and the hard part is the voice, because the top notes come near the end.
On guitar, every chord except F is an open shape, and F works as xx3211. In C the tune tops out at E5, which suits a solo voice better than a room. For a group, try B♭ or A. Here are the O Holy Night chords in every key.
8. The First Noel
The First Noel uses seven chords in D: D, G, A, A7, Bm, Em and F♯m. Its 46 changes are the most on this list, because the chord moves in nearly every bar, and Bm and F♯m are both barre chords on guitar.
It's in 3/4, and you start singing "The" on beat 3. Start with the D, G and A7 version, which skips the barres. Here are the First Noel chords, with the three-chord version and a bass walk-up to add later.
9. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Hark the Herald Angels Sing uses nine chords. On guitar in G they're G, D, D7, Bm, C, Em, Am, A7 and E, with Bm as a barre. On piano and ukulele it's in F, the key current hymnals print it in, with B♭ as the only ukulele barre.
G, C and D carry the tune, and A7 and E lead into D and Am along the way. It's a brisk, marching 4/4, so those two need to be ready. Here are the Hark the Herald Angels Sing chords in five keys.
10. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is the only song here in a minor key. It uses Em, G, Am, Bm, C and D, plus D7, with B7 and A7 from outside the key once each. That's nine chords and 39 changes.
Bm is the barre on guitar. On ukulele, Em (0432) is a stretch for some hands, and 0402 is an easier way to play it. On piano, F♯ is the only black key in the tune. Here are the O Come, O Come, Emmanuel chords with the verses.
What are the easiest Christmas songs on piano?
In C, the melodies of Silent Night, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger and Jingle Bells use only white keys, and C, F and G7 are all white keys too. Play the chords in your left hand and the tune in your right, and only Jingle Bells needs a black key.
That black key is the F♯ in Jingle Bells' D7, which comes up once in the chorus. Silent Night and Away in a Manger are the gentlest for the left hand, with one chord per bar and two in the second-to-last bar. Here's where three of them start:
First notes, right hand, key of C
Silent Night, "Silent night, holy night": G A G E, G A G E
Joy to the World, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come": C B A G F E D C
Jingle Bells chorus: E E E, E E E, E G C D E
Joy to the World is the one to try if you've never played a tune with your right hand, since the first line walks straight down the C major scale. Auld Lang Syne's melody is all white keys too, in G.
What are the easiest Christmas songs on ukulele?
Silent Night, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger are the easiest on ukulele, in C with C (0003), F (2010) and G7 (0212). Those take one finger, two and three. The numbers are frets on the G, C, E and A strings, in that order.
Jingle Bells adds Dm (2210) and D7 (2020). O Holy Night is also in C, but its Em (0432) and B7 (2322) may be new shapes.
The ukulele shares these charts with the piano, so the two can play together. A guitarist can join them with a capo on the fifth fret: G, C and D7 shapes then sound as C, F and G7. The guitar capo chart has every fret.
What are the easiest Christmas songs on guitar?
Silent Night and Away in a Manger are the easiest on guitar, in G with G (320003), C (x32010) and D7 (xx0212), counting strings from the low E. Joy to the World is next, with D (xx0232), G and A7 (x02020). None of these needs a barre.
Auld Lang Syne, Jingle Bells and O Come All Ye Faithful also have no barre chords, which makes six songs you can play on open shapes alone. Free guitar chord charts online lists free sites with diagrams if any of these shapes are new.
How do you get faster at chord changes?
Drill the move on its own, away from the song. JustinGuitar's One Minute Changes is a simple way to do it: pick two chords, change back and forth between them for one minute, and write down how many changes you made. The lesson says six to nine is a typical first try, and it sets 60 as the target, one change a second.
For Silent Night, you only need two pairs: G and C, then G and D7. The chords don't have to be perfect while you drill, since the exercise is about getting your fingers to move quickly. Clean them up once the speed is there.
Which of these are easiest to sing while you play?
Away in a Manger, Joy to the World and O Come All Ye Faithful are the easiest to sing, each spanning one octave. The First Noel and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel do too. Silent Night, the easiest to play, has the widest range on this list, at an octave and a fourth.
For a mixed group, Silent Night works better in A or B♭ than in G. Keep the same G, C and D7 shapes and put a capo on the second fret for A or the third for B♭. In A, the top note on "Sleep in heavenly" is the D above high C, and the last note is the A just below middle C. If the top note strains, drop a key. If the final "peace" disappears, raise one.
Knowing your own vocal range helps when you're singing alone. And if your strumming hand stops whenever you start singing, how to sing and play guitar at the same time covers why it happens and how to fix it.
Which Christmas songs can you play in a row without changing key?
On guitar, six of these are charted in G: Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Auld Lang Syne, Jingle Bells, O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. On piano and ukulele, five are in C: Silent Night, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Jingle Bells and O Holy Night.
A key you can stay in means no capo to move between songs and fewer new shapes to think about. On guitar, you could open with Jingle Bells, slow down with Away in a Manger and Silent Night, build with O Come All Ye Faithful, and finish on Auld Lang Syne. All five use open shapes, and they share G, C and D7.
How do you keep a carol set on your phone?
Song Cage's phone app shows a song as chords over the words. Autoscroll moves the page at the song's tempo and keeps the screen awake, so you can play with both hands. Set lists move you from one song to the next, and there are two ways to get the carols in.
From a computer: start a song in Sheet view, set it to the chart's key, type the words and put the chords on them. The charts for Silent Night, Auld Lang Syne and The First Noel also paste straight in. To change key, pick a new one from the key chip and choose Move song. Sign in on your phone and the song appears in the Songs tab, where songs built on the computer play, autoscroll and go in set lists free. The web app is free for one song. More songs take the Song Cage licence, which also includes the phone unlock.
On the phone alone: start an idea, type the words on the Lyrics tab, flip to Chords and tap each chord onto its word. Pasting a chart won't work here, because the Lyrics tab keeps square brackets as plain text. Your first 3 ideas are free and always open to read. Play, Autoscroll and set lists for ideas come with a one-time $19.99 in-app unlock.
The mobile app chapter covers the Songs tab in full, and how to make a chord chart covers writing your own. If the carols have you wanting to write one, how to write a Christmas song covers the chords that sound like Christmas.
Play these carols in your key
Put the chords over the words in Song Cage, move the song to the key your group sings in, and see every chord as a guitar shape or as piano keys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest Christmas song to play on guitar?
Silent Night in G. It uses three open chords, G, C and D7, changes chord 10 times in a verse, and moves at two slow beats to the bar. Its changes are all between G and C or between G and D7.
What is the easiest Christmas song to play on piano?
Silent Night or Joy to the World in C. Both melodies use only white keys, and so do the chords C, F and G7. Joy to the World's first line walks straight down the C major scale: C B A G F E D C.
What is the easiest Christmas song to play on ukulele?
Silent Night, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger, all in C with C (0003), F (2010) and G7 (0212). Those three shapes take one finger, two and three.
What three chords play the most Christmas songs?
On piano and ukulele, C, F and G7 play Silent Night, Joy to the World and Away in a Manger, plus a simplified Jingle Bells. On guitar, G, C and D7 play the same four songs, with Joy to the World charted in D but playable in G.
Can you play Christmas songs on guitar without barre chords?
Yes. Silent Night, Joy to the World, Away in a Manger, Auld Lang Syne, Jingle Bells and O Come All Ye Faithful all use open shapes. The First Noel also works without a barre if you play its three-chord version with D, G and A7.
Why aren't Deck the Halls or All I Want for Christmas Is You on this list?
This list only ranks songs with a full chart of words and chords on this site. Modern songs such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949), Last Christmas (1984) and All I Want for Christmas Is You (1994) are still under copyright, so their words can't be printed here. Deck the Halls is old enough, but it doesn't have a chart here yet.
