“Silent Night” is a timeless carol, beloved for its peaceful melody and simple yet profound message. For guitarists, it’s also a fantastic piece to learn, especially during the holiday season. This lesson will guide you through playing “Silent Night” on guitar using easy chords and a beautiful fingerstyle arrangement, perfect for solo performance. We’ll break down each part step-by-step, making it accessible for beginners while still offering a rewarding experience for more seasoned players. Get ready to bring the magic of “Silent Night” to life on your guitar!
To play “Silent Night”, you’ll primarily need to know just three basic guitar chords: G major, C major, and D major. These are fundamental chords that are essential for any guitarist’s repertoire, and “Silent Night” provides a wonderful context for practicing them. We’ll be playing in the key of G major, which is a popular and guitar-friendly key.
For a richer sound, especially for solo guitar playing, we’ll incorporate a fingerstyle approach. Fingerstyle guitar involves plucking the strings with your fingers instead of using a pick. This technique allows you to play the melody, bass line, and accompaniment simultaneously, creating a full and harmonious sound. Don’t worry if you’re new to fingerstyle; this arrangement is designed to be beginner-friendly and will help you develop this skill.
Let’s look at the complete arrangement first to get an overview, and then we’ll dive into each part in detail.
Silent Night Chord Sheet
This arrangement focuses on three key elements of solo fingerstyle playing: melody, bass, and accompaniment. The melody is the tune you recognize and should be clear and prominent. The bass line provides the rhythmic foundation and harmonic depth. The accompaniment, often using chord arpeggios (playing the notes of a chord individually), adds texture and richness to the overall sound.
This particular arrangement is designed to be approachable and elegant. The bass line is mostly consistent, and the arpeggios are derived directly from the chords, making it easy to learn. It’s perfect for beginners looking to explore fingerstyle, yet it’s also musically satisfying for intermediate players seeking a simple and beautiful rendition of “Silent Night”.
Let’s break down the song line by line:
The first line, “Silent night, holy night,” consists of two measures that are then repeated. In the first measure, we begin with a G6 chord. To play a G6 (320030), fret the low E string at the 3rd fret with your middle finger and the A string at the 2nd fret with your index finger, leaving the rest of the strings open.
Measure 1
For the second measure, simply lift your finger from the B string, allowing it to ring open. This slight change adds a touch of melodic interest.
Measure 1
The picking pattern shown emphasizes the melody notes on the higher strings. It’s crucial to let the melody ring out clearly so that the song is recognizable. Since the melody is on the first two strings, using the G6 chord helps the initial notes of the song flow smoothly over the arpeggios. Play the bass note (the root of the chord, G) with a bit more emphasis to ensure it sustains throughout the measure, while playing the rest of the chord with a lighter touch, almost like you are playing a piano or harp.
Line two, “All is calm, all is bright,” starts with a D chord played higher up the neck, followed by a regular open position D chord. Guitarists familiar with the lesson “Love The One You’re With” might recognize this voicing.
Measure 5 and 6 – example 1
Measure 5 and 6 – example 2
Measure 5 and 6 – example 3
In these measures, since we are primarily using the top four strings, the bass note (open D string) is played on the first and third beats, accentuating the melody notes. In measure six, we transition to a standard open D chord. The melody in this section is entirely on the first string. You can also use a D7 chord (example 2) in measure six for a slightly different flavor. For a more adventurous sound, try the progression from D to Dmaj7 to D7 (example 3), similar to what’s used in the lesson “Fire”.
The phrase “Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child,” brings us back to a G chord.
Measure 7
Notice that in this G chord pattern, the A string is not played. This simplifies the chord shape and allows for quicker transitions, as there’s one less finger to worry about placing. This is particularly helpful in the next measure.
Measure eight utilizes a picking pattern that might be familiar from lessons like “Blackbird” or “Scarborough Fair”. Refer to the Blackbird lesson for a detailed explanation of this technique.
Measures nine through twelve form the third line, “Holy infant so tender and mild.” We start with a C chord in measure nine.
Measure 8
At the beginning of measure ten, add your pinky finger to the 3rd fret of the first string to voice the G note. Then, slide your pinky down to the 2nd fret to get the F# before removing it completely for the open E string. Interestingly, at the end of this measure, you don’t need to fret any strings!
Measure eleven mirrors measure one, and measure twelve is essentially a repetition of measure eight, except it starts with the open B string.
The fourth line, “Sleep in heavenly peace,” is a repeat of measures nine through eleven, concluding with an arpeggio of the regular G chord. Again, since the melody is on the open B string and the A string isn’t played, you can play a simplified “partial chord” by only fretting the G note on the 3rd fret of the low E string.
Now, for the grand finale!
Finish
Finish continued
Finish continued
Finish continued
Measure seventeen brings back the D chord from measure five. It’s recommended to finger this D chord with your index finger on the 5th fret of the E string, ring finger on the 7th fret of the B string, and middle finger on the 7th fret of the G string. This fingering makes the transition to the next measure smoother because the melody jumps from the A note (5th fret, 1st string) to the C note at the 8th fret. Using your pinky for this high C might be challenging, so this fingering avoids a complicated chord change.
In measure nineteen, it’s helpful to use your ring finger for the melody’s G note (3rd fret, 1st string). Start with a G chord (again, no need to fret the A string). On the third beat, change the bass note from G to F# (2nd fret, 6th string). Here comes the slightly tricky part! On the last half of the third beat, pluck the open G (3rd) string while sliding your ring finger up to the 7th fret of the E string. As you hit the first beat of measure twenty, also strike the open low E (6th) string and play an arpeggio on the open D, G, and B strings. This creates an Em7 chord, adding a beautiful harmonic touch.
Consider slowing down slightly for the last four measures to give the notes more weight and deliberation. Measure twenty-one (“…sleep in heavenly peace.”) is a G chord again, with a different melody note on each beat. These melody notes are punctuated by the open D string on the second and third beats, alternating with the open G string as a pedal point on the offbeat.
For measure twenty-two, form a D7 chord (you can leave the high E string open). Add your pinky to the 3rd fret of the B string. When you lift your pinky off, you automatically get the C note in the melody, followed by the open B string for the B note.
Finally, wrap up the song with a slow arpeggio of a full G chord (now you can include the A string!). For a finishing flourish, try adding harmonics of the G chord at the 12th fret on the D, G, and B strings.
This arrangement of “Silent Night” is designed to be relatively straightforward and accessible. With a little practice, you’ll be able to play this beautiful Christmas carol and share its peaceful message through music.
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