Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Tutorial
Welcome to this tutorial on the Christmas Ballad “Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas”. The tune follows a 32 bar form, with a 4 bar extension at the end.
In part 1 of this tutorial we will create a full solo piano arrangement incorporating big 2 handed voicings, upper structure triads, passing chords and suspended harmony.
The melody of the tune is repetitive and so we will explore ways that we can add variety by utilising the different registers of the piano. We’ll also add in some interesting chord reharmonisations to spice up the repetitive chord changes.
In Part 2, we will then explore how to create intros and endings using the 1625 and it’s variations.
Related Lessons
We start the lesson by recapping the basic theory behind sus chords and then explore them in context of major and minor 251s
Passing chords are temporary stepping stones between chords, adding variety and making your playing sound more interesting & dynamic.
Tritone Substitution is a useful reharmonisation technique that can be used to add harmonic interest and variety to a chord progression.
Practice Tips
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When creating arrangements for Christmas tunes, try to harmonise every note of the melody... don't be lazy by just playing the chords from the lead sheet!
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Use dominant passing chords built from a fifth above or a half step above the target chord.
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Incorporate all of the registers of the piano... Play some of the phrases in the lower registers and then extend to the higher registers to add interest and variety to your arrangement.
- Listen to both instrumental and vocal versions to gain inspiration for phrasing (and rephrasing!) the melody.
