How to Play Jolly Old St. Nicholas on the Piano in Time for Christmas

Have you always wanted to play a Christmas carol on the piano, but never had piano lessons? In this article I will teach you how to play Jolly Old St. Nicholas on the piano just in time for Christmas!

For this version of Jolly Old St. Nicholas, you will need to learn your finger numbers. Place both hands out in front of you. Both thumbs are finger number 1, both pointer fingers are finger number 2, both middle fingers are finger number 3, both ring fingers are finger number 4 and both of your pinkies are finger number 5.

For each note, hold it for one beat. A dash after a finger number equals an additional beat. So if you saw 3 - - - you would hold your third finger down for a total of four beats. If you know the song Jolly Old St. Nicholas you can also trust your ear to tell you how long to hold the notes.

It's important to start on the correct note. This version of Jolly Old St. Nicholas begins in Middle C Position. That means both of your thumbs are going to share the Middle C key.

Look at your piano or keyboard. Do you see the brand of the piano printed above the keys? This generally will be the middle of the piano. If your piano or keyboard doesn't have a name above the keys, try to determine where the middle range of your keyboard is located.

Now notice how the black keys are in groups of twos and threes. Find the grouping of two black keys closest to the middle of the piano. Middle C is the white key just down and slightly to the left of the left black key in that grouping of two.

Put both of your thumbs on the Middle C key. You will probably feel like it is a bit crowded to have both of your thumbs on one key, but it's important not to let your hands slip out of this hand position. Place the rest of your fingers in both hands on each of the white keys adjacent to Middle C.

Since you will be using both hands, you will need to pay attention to which hand is supposed to be playing. There will be a RH by the notes the right hand plays, and a LH by the notes the left hand plays. You will only be playing one hand at a time, but keep both hands on the keys for the entire song so you can quickly change from one hand to the other.

Now you are ready to begin playing Jolly Old St. Nicholas!

RH: 3333 222 - 1111 3 - - -

LH: 3333 4

RH: 11 - 2123 2 - - - 3333 222 - 1111 3 - - -

LH: 3333 4

RH: 11 - 2123 1- - -

Here are the words to Jolly Old St. Nicholas:

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way! Don't you tell a single soul what I'm going to say. Christmas Eve is coming soon, now you dear old man. Whisper what you'll bring to me, tell me if you can.