Silent Night
About this arrangement
Written in one day. On Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, near Salzburg, the priest Joseph Mohr brought a poem to the organist Franz Xaver Gruber and asked for a melody by that evening's mass. Gruber wrote it for voices and guitar, and it was sung that night.
Learn the left hand first - it repeats the same rest-two-beats shape nearly all the way through, and once it is automatic it holds the tempo for you. Then take the right hand slowly: the melody sits on top of the chord, so aim the top note and let the rest follow. Four bars of introduction come before the tune starts.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 Is Silent Night easy to play on piano?
It is approachable, but this edition is a real arrangement rather than a bare melody: the right hand plays the tune with chords under it, and the left hand keeps a waltz accompaniment. The music moves slowly and the phrases repeat, which is what makes it manageable.
02 What key is Silent Night in?
This edition is in B flat major, which has two flats. You will also see it printed in C and A flat - the carol is sung in whatever key suits the voices, and the shape of the tune is the same in all of them.
03 How old is Silent Night?
It was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The words are by Joseph Mohr, the melody by Franz Xaver Gruber.