We Wish You a Merry Christmas Notes
We 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.
Listen and play along
Hear the tune with a steady beat. Turn the tune off to play it yourself on any instrument, with the beat to keep you in time.
- GG, quarter note
- CC high, quarter noteC½C high, eighth noteD½D high, eighth noteC½C high, eighth noteB½B, eighth note
- AA, quarter noteFF, quarter noteAA, quarter note
- DD high, quarter noteD½D high, eighth noteE½E high, eighth noteD½D high, eighth noteC½C high, eighth note
- BB, quarter noteGG, quarter noteGG, quarter note
- EE high, quarter noteE½E high, eighth noteF½F high, eighth noteE½E high, eighth noteD½D high, eighth note
- CC high, quarter noteAA, quarter noteG½G, eighth noteG½G, eighth note
- AA, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteBB, quarter note
- C2C high, half noteGG, quarter note
- CC high, quarter noteCC high, quarter noteCC high, quarter note
- B2B, half noteBB, quarter note
- CC high, quarter noteBB, quarter noteAA, quarter note
- G2G, half noteDD high, quarter note
- EE high, quarter noteD½D high, eighth noteD½D high, eighth noteCC high, quarter note
- GG high, quarter noteGG, quarter noteG½G, eighth noteG½G, eighth note
- AA, quarter noteDD high, quarter noteBB, quarter note
- C3C high, dotted half note
16 measures of 3/4 after a pickup · 53 notes
Name the notes in the game → Read the tune one note at a time; each right answer plays the note.
Change the notes in Compose → Move notes, change their lengths and hear your own version.
Each box is one measure of three beats. The tune starts on a pickup: the last beat of the first box. A wider note lasts longer. C' is the high C (a ' marks the octave above middle C).
The notes with the words
| Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| We wish you a merry Christmas | G C' C' D' C' B A F |
| we wish you a merry Christmas | A D' D' E' D' C' B G |
| we wish you a merry Christmas | G E' E' F' E' D' C' A |
| and a happy New Year! | G G A D' B C' |
| Good tidings we bring to you and your kin | G C' C' C' B B C' B A G |
| good tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year! | D' E' D' D' C' G' G G G A D' B C' |
A ’ after a letter means the octave above middle C’s: C’ is the C in the third space of the staff.
Look at how the three “we wish you” lines start: on C’, then D’, then E’. The same pattern climbs one step each time, which is what makes the carol build up to “and a happy New Year!”
On the staff
The carol is in 3/4 time: three beats to a measure, “1 2 3”. It starts on a pickup: “We” comes on the last beat before the first full measure, so “wish” lands on the strong beat.
Free printable sheet music
The sheet has the melody one phrase per line, with the letter name under every note and the words under each line, on one page of US Letter or A4. It suits beginners on piano, keyboard or recorder, and works well for a December class or school concert. It’s free to print and copy.
The notes it uses
A shorter version
In the game, We Wish You a Merry Christmas (first part) stops at “and a happy New Year!”, before “Good tidings we bring”. It’s 30 notes instead of 53: play the first part.
Tips for reading it
- Count in three. “You a mer-ry” is four quick eighth notes on beats 2 and 3. Say “1 2-and 3-and” to fit them in.
- Spot the climb. C’, D’, E’: the three “we wish you” lines are the same shape, a step higher each time.
- Feel the pickups. “We”, “Good” and the second “good” all come just before a strong beat.
About the carol
We Wish You a Merry Christmas is a traditional English carol from the West Country. It’s a wassailing song, sung by carolers going from door to door, which is why later verses ask for figgy pudding and refuse to leave until they get some. Its words and tune are public domain.
Play it
Press Name the notes in the game at the top of this page to read the carol one note at a time in Trebly’s Songs mode. More carols: Christmas songs with letter notes.