Early intermediate piece
How to play Silent Night on piano
First performed in 1818 in a village church in Austria. The tune is gentle and slow with long notes, so it is as much a lesson in playing quietly and evenly as it is in reading notes.
- Composer
- Franz Xaver Gruber (melody), Joseph Mohr (words)
- Level
- Early intermediate
- Key
- C major, B-flat major or G major, depending on the book
- Time signature
- 6/8 or 12/8 in most books
- Hands
- Both hands
What makes it tricky
- The long dotted notes. Count the full length before you move to the next.
- The compound time. If your book uses 6/8, feel two slow beats with a lilt.
- Keeping the volume soft and steady, especially in the left hand.
A three-step practice plan
- Right hand alone, at a slow tempo, aiming for long smooth notes.
- Left hand alone, listening for an even sound.
- Together, one phrase at a time, with the left hand quieter than the right.