Ten festive favorites you can learn by Christmas
There’s still time to learn these 10 Christmas classics on piano before the big day
Around this time of year, many of us are rushing around doing everything we can to make the festive season that little bit more special for those we love. There’s one important detail that often gets forgotten until the day itself though — the soundtrack.
This year, why settle for Spotify? Swap the predictable playlists for an impromptu(-ish) Christmas concert starring yourself.
Easier said than done? A little, but the ROLI Learn app is packed with seasonal songs you can start learning today, from Mariah to Nat King Cole to the Pogues — plus a host of traditional crowd-pleasers. And what better way to learn than with a Piano that lights up like a Christmas tree?
Below, we’ve collected ten of our top picks to get you started. If you’re looking for something in particular, try searching in the app or just ask the AI Piano Assistant to help find your favorites.
All I Want for Christmas is You — Mariah Carey
There’s only really one way to kick off this list, and arguably the holiday season itself. No matter how early you’re reading this, we’ll be surprised if you haven’t already heard it at least once this year already. Originally released back in 1994, “All I Want for Christmas is You” has such an enduring appeal that it made it back to the very top of the Billboard charts as recently as 2019. This one’s guaranteed to spread festive cheer to anyone in earshot from the very first notes.
Blue Christmas — Elvis Presley
Released as part of Elvis’s Christmas Album, the first Christmas number one of the rock ’n’ roll era, Blue Christmas proves that a classic Christmas song doesn’t necessarily need to be cheerful. Despite being banned on Canadian radio for being “degrading to Christmas”, The King’s 1957 rendition of the song has endured the test of time, reappearing in the Billboard charts, like our previous entry, in 2019.
Deck the Halls — Thomas Oliphant
This classic carol is based on a 16th-century Welsh melody of uncertain origin, but we do know that the English lyrics we know today were penned by Scotsman Thomas Oliphant in 1862. The likes of Mozart and Haydn both borrowed from the original, but it’s Oliphant’s festive version that’s most often heard today, albeit in a sanitized form; the 1862 lyrics were an altogether more boozy affair, containing the words “fill the meadcup, drain the barrel”.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas — Frank Sinatra
Need to learn a Christmas song while frantically rushing around trying to complete the rest of your to-do list? We’ve got you. If you look closely in the ROLI Learn app, you’ll find two versions of this song by Ol’ Blue Eyes. A regular one, and a QUICK PLAY version. The latter is just what it sounds like — it’ll teach you everything you need to know (and nothing you don’t) faster than a reindeer-powered sled.
O Tannenbaum! — E. Anschütz
In the English-speaking world, this traditional tune is best known by its translated title, “O Christmas Tree”, so it’s odd that this wasn’t originally a Christmas song. “O Tannenbaum” (literally “O Fir Tree”) was intended as an ode to the tree itself, long considered a symbol of faithfulness and constancy due to its evergreen nature (unlike the cut version in your living room). Sometime after penning the original lyrics, writer Ernst Anschütz added two new verses, transforming the song into a Christmas carol that’s become equally popular in German and English.
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) — Nat King Cole
This classic may be heavy on cosy winter vibes, but its origins couldn’t be further removed: It was reportedly written in just 45 minutes during a particularly fierce LA heatwave by songwriters Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in an attempt at reverse psychology. It may or may not have had the desired effect on them.
Jingle Bells — J. L. Pierpont
Of the entries on this list that weren’t originally Christmas songs, this is perhaps the most surprising. Written by James Lord Pierpont around 1857, Jingle Bells was actually a blatant attempt to cash in on the then-booming genre — and we’re not making this up — of sleighing songs. Sadly, Pierpont never made a lot of money from “Jingle Bells”, but it was the first song ever performed from space, played on harmonica and bells by the Gemini 6 astronauts in 1965. Shame Pierpont wasn’t around to hear it.
White Christmas — Bing Crosby
No list of Christmas songs could be considered complete without this, the best-selling single (of any genre) ever. Crosby’s version is estimated to have shifted more than 50 million physical copies since it was first broadcast in 1941, with various other versions racking up nearly the same number combined. The version most often heard today is a 1947 re-recording after the original master was damaged through frequent use. You can tell if you’re listening to the later version by the inclusion of flute and celesta in the intro.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Attributed to “Traditional” in the ROLI Learn app, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” is the only song on our list with such uncertain authorship — unless you doubt Mariah’s version of events, of course. First popularised in Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” has become a carolling classic, with countless singers going door-to-door every year to demand their “figgy pudding” (no, we don’t know either) in a vaguely threatening, but delightfully sing-song, manner.
Fairytale of New York — The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl
Christmas isn’t always perfect. The secret to making the most of it, as with learning piano, is to embrace the imperfection. And what better celebration of a less-than-perfect Christmas than this, the ultimate anti-Christmas Christmas anthem. It’s raw, it’s unpolished, and some of the language hasn’t aged well (though frontman Shane MacGowan maintained it was authentic to his characters’ voices), but it’s a surefire way to start a seasonal singalong just about anywhere there’s a piano.
Learn your favorites in time for Christmas
If you’re looking to start learning piano yourself, or to pick out the perfect present for someone who is, now’s the ideal time. Our winter deals are still on with big savings available on ROLI Piano M, learning bundles, and digital gift cards — don’t miss out.
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