O Come All Ye Faithful For Piano – Some Arranging Ideas…

Good morning. Let’s take a look at O Come All Ye Faithful for piano today and we can do it in any key we want. Let’s do it in F and I’ll just kind of play it through and we’ll talk about what we could do, some of the arrangement techniques. (Jazzy contemporary rendition of O Come All Ye Faithful plays)

Okay, we did several different things. First of all I start out with the second. I use the F chord, but I put my thumb over not only A, the third and the second G, so we have a little more of a complex chord there. Here I used an ostinato. The chord is G minor 7th, but I used them over F and C, so it’s really two cords. That’s G7th again or a chord and a half-chord. Then I think I (striking chords), yeah F major 7th, G minor 7th F major 7th, G minor 7th and here I think I play E 11th I guess. Yeah, as a substitute. The [Inaudible 00:01:59] is A, so that would be the 11th at the E chord. So, is that right? That made suspension of the E chord. Okay.

Then, I have steps [Inaudible 00:02:13] to E flat 7th, E minor 7th, G7th. Now this is kind of traditional here. C, D minor 7th, C, F and each one of those has a major 7th in it of some sort. Like that C minor 7th, D minor 7th, E minor 7th, F minor 7th. That’s a C chord, but I’ve got some passing tones in it. See the passing tones going from the 2nd to the 3rd to the major 7th to the 6th. There’s a suspension on G7th, which I’ll resolve through a passing tone.

That’s a C7th, but I’m using the suspension first. Then, I put the 7th in the mix to get [Inaudible 00:03:07] some motion and then that’s the F chord and A is on the bottom of it and I’m using a passing [Inaudible 00:03:14]. C7th and a major 7th, short minor 7th, C7th, F7th, F9th. Actually, the F chord and a first inversion of the 9th and the second passing. B flat, G7th, B on the bottom, C7th. Now, I think I want up high. (Melody continues.) Left hand, I use to ostinato like this. (Melody continues.)

Now, here, where you can get to the traditional part, we can do that (melody) or I think I dropped it down to get a more traditional sound, nothing unusual there. B flat chord is the chord that’s written. I could change this to B flat minor or E flat 7th if you prefer. That’s the E flat 7th then the 9th and a 13 stuck in it. That’s the F chord and I’m using a passing tone 2nd [Inaudible 00:04:40] major 7th, 6th, C7th suspension, resolve with a passing tone and then home to F, but I could use an inside plagal cadence.

So, you see there are all kinds of things you could do to a song like that and the sky is the limit. So I encourage you to experiment around. Let me play it through once more just so you can watch it. (Oh Come All Ye Faithful melody) Those are passing tones. [Inaudible 00:05:26]. B flat, G7th, C7th. Now, I’m going higher just for contrast. And that’s the traditional plagal cadence at the end.

Now, if you wanted to do something a little more unusual, you might do something like this. Start out with the F and then go to C minor 7th or even a 9th then if you want. See, there’s just two chords there. There’s the F chord and with a 9th in it. C minor 7th, F major, C minor 7th, F major 7th, C minor 7th. See, there are just two chords. Watch again. (Contemporary version of O Come All Ye Faithful)

Now if you wanted to go to A minor 7th, you could do that instead of F. In other words, instead of F, go to A minor 7th and I just turn like that. That’s D minor 7th with a flat 9th. G minor 7th, D flat 7th, C7th, B flat, G7th. I think I lost my place, so I’m going back to C and then to the course. Now you don’t have to do it high, you can do it (melody continues).

Now all that was, was a delayed plagal cadence. In other words, I’m toggling back and forth between F and B flat. B flat is a [Inaudible 00:08:11]. Plagal cadence is where you go to the 4 chord to the 1 chord. It’s the traditional augmented cadence. So, I’m doing the same thing. Watch. Here’s the ending. Instead of going to F I go to B flat, F, B flat, F. So, it’s just kind of a delayed plagal cadence.

Well, there are a few ideas for you on O Come All Ye Faithful, so tune in again tomorrow and I’ll have another Christmas Carol waiting for you. 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

Here is the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oItDv0aSDk

*********************************************************************************************************************