“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” Song for Piano

Here is a transcript of the video in case you might like to follow along:

Good morning, this is Duane. Let’s take a look today at the classic song from World War II, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” song for piano. It goes like this:

[piano playing from 00:00:08 – 00:01:08]

It’s a beautiful song, not a very long song. It was one of the great hits from World War II. In fact I think it was the biggest song eventually during World War II. It’s probably the most requested around Christmas time.

It was recorded by Bing Crosby at 1943. It went on that become, like I say huge because it was written from the point of view of a soldier, US soldier in World War II. As saying, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, saves some mistletoe and presents and so on. Then it ends by saying, “If only in my dreams”, and for most or a lot of those guys, it was only in their dreams. They didn’t make it home for Christmas, and of course as you know and he didn’t make it home at all. It was a very sad song, but still it brought hope, memories of Christmas to those guys.

Let’s take a look at the cords structure, and I’ll leave the expert playing of it to someone much better than I. I just want to walk you through the cords, okay. If we’re doing it on a Key of C, which I usually do just … so that it makes it easier for everybody. Let’s try it’s at the C chord, you can put the second and then if you want, I like it. Now, the next cord is a diminished seventh chord, if you like that. That will be E-Flat, G-Flat, A and D. I got a letter easily in saying, “How come you don’t name those diminished seventh chord?” Well, that’s because a diminished seventh chord can be name by any note in the chord.

In other words, that could be this same diminished of seventh chord, the E-Flat diminished of seventh chord, the G-Flat diminished of seventh chord, the A diminished of seventh chord or in harmonically the F-Sharp diminished of seventh chord or the D-Sharp diminished chord. Any note in the diminished of seventh chord can function as the root, in other words. It says, E-Flats on the bottom will call it E-Flat diminished of seventh chord. Now, if you don’t like the sound of that, then go to A-Minor seventh, that’s a nice substitute. I’ll do that.

C, A-Minor, I’m putting a seventh in it, A-Minor seventh. D-Minor seventh, it’s D-minor seventh with the melody is G, so it’s kind of a suspension. I have D, F, A, C, D, F, G. That goes to at progressive nicely at G seventh. I use a little passing tone in there. Sixth of the chord, flat six. Next chord could be E eleventh, I guess, yeah, eleventh. It wouldn’t have to be that, but that will work. The next chord is in a A seventh. If you don’t like that sound, then just play an A seventh. The melody is B-Flat which turns out to be a flat ninth. I’m putting in the sixth of the chord with it going to the lower of sixth again. All right. Same thing as I did last chord, I guess.

D-Minor, actually it was D-Minor seventh over G. I’m using it block chord style here. D-Minor, E seventh, G seventh of suspension, G seventh of the flat ninth, C, G with B on the bottom. That’s several, have a nice counter melody. It’s A-Minor, that’s D seventh suspension. I’m playing the fourth and sort of a third, and you can use a flat fifth, if you want. With a result of that, if you use it. A-Minor seventh suspension, G. If you want to do it half step slide, you can go from G seventh to D-Flat seventh. I’m going to D-Flat root fifths in my left hand. In my right hand, I’m playing at E-Flat chord over it.

In other words, that works anyway. Okay. I won’t go into detail of why, but that will work if you like that chords of [inaudible 00:06:00]. I’m using A-Minor, D-Minor seventh, G seventh. Now if I wanted to go from G-seventh down … I’m headed for E eleventh again, but I think I’ll go down via F seventh with a flat fifth. Here’s at E seventh, E eleventh, A-Flat, I’m sorry, A seventh again, G-Minor seventh, F sixth. I will do a substitute chord there, B-Flat seventh. Here you have your choice between E seventh or you could go E diminished of seventh, if you want. That’s A seventh, and I’m using the color tone in it. I’m using a flat sixth and a flat third.

That’s D seventh, but it’s got a sixth in it and a ninth. That’s a D seventh but I have a ninth in it. That’s G seventh with a flat ninth. Then to end it, something like that. Only if it to somebody much better than me to demonstrate that. Anyway, those are the chords, so I just want to have that walkthrough. If you enjoy this sort of thing, tune in again tomorrow when I’ll have a different video for you, and come on over to playpiano.com and sign up for our free newsletter on chords and chord progressions. I hope to see you there, and meanwhile Merry Christmas.

Here is the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nf5BmM75fg
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