Easy Christmas Songs with Letter Notes
Eleven Christmas carols, each with its letter notes under the words, the melody on the treble staff and a player to hear it with a steady beat. All are in C major, with no sharps or flats, and you can play every one free in your browser or print its free sheet music.
Where to start
The carols are listed here from easiest to hardest. Start at the top, and move down when a carol feels comfortable.
| Carol | It starts | Notes to know | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jingle Bells (the chorus) | E E E, E E E, E G C D E | Middle C to G | 4/4 |
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | G C’ C’ D’ C’ B A F | F to G’ | 3/4 |
| Good King Wenceslas | C’ C’ C’ D’ C’ C’ G | G to G’ | 4/4 |
| Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | G C’ C’ B C’ E’ E’ D’ | G to A’ | 4/4 |
| O Christmas Tree | G C’ C’ C’ D’ E’ E’ E’ | G to A’ | 3/4 |
| Silent Night | G A G E, G A G E | Middle C to F’ | 3/4 |
| Away in a Manger | G C’ C’ D’ E’ C’ | G to A’ | 3/4 |
| O Come, All Ye Faithful | C’ C’ G C’ D’ G | G to G’ | 4/4 |
| The First Noel | E D C D E F G | Middle C to C’ | 3/4 |
| Deck the Halls | G F E D C D E C | B below middle C to C’ | 4/4 |
| God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen | A A E’ E’ D’ C’ B A | G to A’ | 4/4 |
A ’ after a letter means the note is in the octave above middle C’s: C’ is the C in the third space of the treble staff, A’ the A on the first ledger line above it.
Four carols also come in a shorter version in the game: the chorus of Jingle Bells, the first part of We Wish You a Merry Christmas and of O Christmas Tree, and the first half of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. They’re the best way into each one.
Free printable carol sheets
Every carol page has a free sheet music PDF to download, in US Letter or A4: the melody one phrase per line, with the letter name under every note and the words under each line. Most fit on one page. They suit beginners on piano, keyboard or recorder, and you can print and copy them for a class or a carol evening, with no sign-up.
How to learn a carol
- Listen first. Every carol page has a player. Press Play and follow the boxes: each one is a measure, and the lit box shows where the tune is.
- Read the letters with the words. The table on each page puts the notes under the words, one line at a time. Most carols repeat their first line, so you’ve read more than you think.
- Find the notes on the staff. Each page shows the whole carol on the treble staff, line by line, with the letter under every note.
- Play it in Trebly. The carol’s notes arrive on the staff one at a time; name each one and you hear it. When you know it, turn on Play in time and read it to the beat.
- Play along. On the carol’s page, turn the tune off in the player and play the melody yourself on piano, recorder, guitar or anything else, with the beat to keep you in time.
Three beats or four
Six of these carols count in 4/4, four beats to a measure, like most songs. Five count in 3/4: three beats, with the first a little stronger, “1 2 3, 1 2 3”. That’s the swing you hear in Silent Night and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The player’s metronome clicks the first beat of every measure more loudly, so you can feel which kind of carol you’re in. Time signatures explains both.
Many carols also start on a pickup: a note or two before the first full measure, like the “We” of “We wish you a merry Christmas”. On each carol’s page the pickup sits at the end of the first box.
For teachers
Every carol here is public domain, so you can use the letter notes and staff in class. Each carol page also has a free printable sheet, ready to copy for the class. The carols are in C major and stay close to the treble staff, which suits recorder, keyboard and Boomwhacker lessons in December. Singing them with a choir? Give the starting note with the free online pitch pipe. The teacher resources have more for the classroom.
- Away in a Manger NotesAway in a Manger starts G, C' C' D' E', C' C' E' F': a pickup on G, then a gentle climb in three beats to the measure, up to the A above the staff. This is William Kirkpatrick's tune, "Cradle Song".
- Deck the Halls NotesDeck the Halls starts G F E D C D E C: down the scale from G to middle C, then a little turn. Every line is answered by "fa la la", and two of them dip to the B just below middle C.
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen NotesGod Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen starts A, A E' E' D' C' B A: a leap up, then a walk back down. It's the one minor-key carol here, in A minor, which gives it its darker, older sound, and it still needs no sharps or flats.
- Good King Wenceslas NotesGood King Wenceslas starts C' C' C' D' C' C' G, then A G A B C' C'. Almost every note is a plain quarter note, which makes it one of the easiest carols to read in time.
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing NotesHark! The Herald Angels Sing starts G C' C' B C' E' E' D': a leap up from G, then a climb that sounds like a fanfare. Mendelssohn wrote the tune; the words are Charles Wesley's.
- Jingle Bells NotesThe chorus of Jingle Bells is E E E, E E E, E G C D E: three notes on one key, three more, then a little run up and back. It's the easiest Christmas tune to start reading, and the whole song, verse and chorus, is below too.
- O Christmas Tree NotesO Christmas Tree starts G, C' C' C' D', E' E' E': a pickup on G, then the same note three times before each step up. It moves in three beats to the measure, like a slow waltz.
- O Come, All Ye Faithful NotesO Come, All Ye Faithful starts C', C' G C' D' G: a pickup, then a leap down and back up, like a call to come and gather. The chorus, "O come, let us adore him", is sung three times, a little higher each time.
- Silent Night NotesSilent Night begins G A G E, G A G E: a gentle rocking figure, sung twice. The whole carol stays in C major, with no sharps or flats, and moves in a slow three beats to the measure.
- The First Noel NotesThe First Noel starts E D, C D E F G: two pickup notes, then a slow climb up the scale from middle C. It moves in three beats to the measure, and the same tune comes round for every line.
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas NotesWe Wish You a Merry Christmas starts G, C' C' D' C' B, A F: a pickup on G, then a quick, bouncy run in three beats to the measure. Each "we wish you" starts one step higher than the last.