Deck the Halls sheet music for easy piano

The Deck the Halls sheet music above is in F major and 4/4 time, with the letter name printed under every note, and the Letter notes tab shows the same carol as plain letters. It covers one verse with all its fa la las, arranged for the right hand. The tune runs from the E above middle C to the F more than an octave above it and uses one black key, B-flat. Listen plays it and highlights each note in the sheet, and Practice lights the next key and waits for you. It is an easy piece whose lines mostly repeat, so there is less to learn than its length suggests.

About Deck the Halls

The melody is Welsh. It belongs to "Nos Galan" ("New Year's Eve"), a winter carol that was published in 1794 and is thought to be much older. The Welsh version differs a little in the fa la la lines: the third one of the English song corresponds to an instrumental flourish in the original.

The English words were written by Thomas Oliphant, a Scottish musician, and first printed in 1862 in the second volume of Welsh Melodies, a collection arranged by John Thomas with Welsh words alongside. The original title was singular, "Deck the Hall"; the plural is found from about 1892. Oliphant's first printing is in F major, the key used on this page.

The carol is in AABA form: the first line is played twice, the third line brings something new, and the last line returns to the opening.

How to play Deck the Halls

• The A lines. Put your thumb on the F above middle C, with G, A, B-flat and C under fingers 2, 3, 4 and 5. The line begins C, B-flat, A, G, falling from finger 5 to finger 2, then F G A F. The fa la la that follows is G A B-flat G, four quick notes, then A and G, and the line closes with F, a short reach down to E with the thumb, and F again.
• The B line. The third line begins lower, on G, and climbs. Move your hand up so your thumb is on G for its first half. Then comes the rising run A, B natural, C, D, E, F: play A B C with fingers 1 2 3, pass your thumb under to D, and continue with 2 and 3 to reach the high F, the top note of the carol. The line settles back on C.
• The last line. Return to the F position. It begins like the first line, but its fa la la is four quick Ds, reached with a small shift up, before C, B-flat, A, G and the final F.

Counting the rhythm

The carol is in 4/4, and most of its notes are quarter notes, one count each. Every line starts with a dotted quarter note held for a beat and a half and a short eighth note. The fa la la groups move twice as fast, in eighth notes, two to a beat: count "1-and 2-and" for them. Each line ends with a half note, two beats long.

Practice tips

• Learn the A line first. It makes up three quarters of the carol, so once it is secure only the third line is new.
• Practice the run separately. Play A B C D E F slowly with the thumb passing under, then add the notes before and after.
• Keep the fa las light. The quick notes should sound playful, not heavy; let your fingers stay close to the keys.
• Watch the one B natural. It is easy to play B-flat out of habit, since every other B in the carol is flat.

For another bright carol, try We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

Printable sheet music

Here is the same arrangement on a single page, with the letter name under every note. Open the image to print it or save it; the Print sheet music button above the keyboard prints it too.