Chord Changes in “Christmas Time Is Here” For Piano

Here is a transcription of the video if you would like to follow along:

Good morning. This is Duane and today I’d like to take a look at the Chord Changes in “Christmas Time Is Here” For Piano – that great tune by Vince Guaraldi is immortalized on the Peanuts Specials, Christmas Specials and Vince Guaraldi as you probably know is a great jazz pianist whot grew up in San Francisco and played with Carl Tjader, the great vibist. When the producer of the Peanut Show heard his version of Cast Your Fate to the Wind, back I don’t know, I supposed at the 50s. He got a hold of Guaraldi and asked him if he would do the original music for the Peanut series which he did, and we are all grateful for that because we’ve all enjoyed it ever since. Let’s just … what I’m going to do is play through the song and then talked about the chords, so you’ll know what the chords are, okay? Just describe it. It starts like this.

That’s F Major chord, okay, we are the key of F by the way based on scale of F, okay and it goes like this. Okay, so we have the F, F Major 7 chord, F, A, C and the melody comes to right down the chord, Christmas time is and then we’ve got F chord over E Flat 7. It be the right hand while I’m playing the F chord plus the 7th of the E Flat chord and the left hand I’m voicing it like this. E Flat, B Flat, G. The whole chord B and then I can echo that either as a block or break it up like so.

That might be. Let me try that again. Christmas time is … Now it changes to B diminished 7th, then it goes down by half steps to B Flat diminished, B Minor 7 down in half step B Flat Minor 7, G Minor 7, C7 suspension it ends up on F Major 9, in other words F, A, C, E, put the melody G. Okay, let’s take it that far.

That’s the whole theme of this piece. Now, the bridge is a little different. You just go to two chords, D Flat Major 7, and let me just show that to you. You play it like this, D Flat, F, A Flat and C. I can play it and occupy and just playing melody now fuse with A Flat and F in between because I’m playing the D Flat 10th in the left hand, D Flat, A Flat, F. Let’s see. I lost my track. Let me start from the beginning.

Now B Minor 7, D Flat, B Minor 7, A Flat, G Minor 7 and end it on F Minor. That’s D Flat. That the G Flat chord with A Flat over it. It’s a polytonality chord. In other words, you have two chords combined, you got A Flat Major over G Flat 7. Again D Flat Major 7, A Flat both chord over G Flat 7 and now the transition as letters. Starts on an A Minor 7 and then goes A 7th with letter a Flat 3rd and a Major 3rd in an odd manner film.

That’s D7 to the Flat 9. G Minor 7, D Flat 7, C7, maybe a Flat9 then back to the theme F Major 7 to F or E Flat, back to F Major 7, F or E Flat 7 and now the clutching, D diminished, B Flat 7, B Minor 7, A Flat Minor 7, G Minor 7, C7 suspension and ends on F Major 9. Okay, let me play it all the way through. And again. Bridge.

For an ending I just toggle between those two chords. F Major 9 and E Flat, so okay. I think we slow down part as you end.

Okay, there is kind of a walk through of Christmas Time Is Here. So, enjoy and we’ll see you tomorrow with another short video. Bye-bye for now.

Here is the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZzw1Eks0JU

Here is the home page for Vince Guaraldi: http://www.vinceguaraldi.com/

For a complete course on playing Spectacularly Beautiful Christmas Carols on your piano for your family and friends this Christmas, click here to read all about it: https://www.playpiano.com/musical-courses/christmas-carols.htm

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