Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is one of those classic Christmas songs
that you actually get excited to hear on the radio even if you are a bit of grinch. So,
the intro sounds kind of like this, I'll sing along the xylophone part that's going on there.
Do do do do do do do do do do do do do - sort of like that. So you'll recognize that sort
of xylophone part. You're going to have to listen to the original but the chords for
that little intro part, just four chords, a G, so G's in your left hand, G, B, D, and
G in your right hand if you can reach it with your pinky. And then you're going to switch
over to a G over an E - actually let's make it an E minor - so in your left hand you've
got E's. Your right hand mostly stays where it is you'll that just this D becomes an E.
So your right hand is playing a G, a B, an E and another G. Okay? Then you're gonna move
to a C over an A. So in my left hand I'm playing A's - that's the over the part - means your
bass hand plays a low part, A's. And my right hand: G, C, E, and another G. And the fourth
and final chord, your right hand stays exactly where it is and all you do is move your left
hand up to D's. So that's a C over a D. D's in my left hand, G, C, E and G in my right
hand. So if you play that in the way that I show you there with the G like this and
the E minor, and then the C over an A, and then C over a D - you'll notice my wrist doesn't
move a lot and that's because it will be really easy for you to play without too many errors.
Okay? So that's the first part - that little intro part. And then there's this sort of
other intro part, which is kind of like the verses and stuff but it's like this slow version
so I'll do my best to sing along but please remember that I'm not Mariah Carey. So, I
don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents,
underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know.
Make my dreams come true, all I want for Christmas is you. And then we're going to get into the
next part. But that little slow intro part, I know maybe it took a while to play through
that whole thing but you're just going to need a handful of chords if you've played
a lot of them already. So you start with a G. And so that's just like the first part
I showed you you start with a G. So in your left hand you've got G's. In your right hand:
G, B, D, and G. So, I don't want a lot for Christmas, and then when she say's there as
in there is just on thing I need, you're gonna keep your right hand where it is and you're
gonna move your left hand up to B's. I like to take the B out of this hand when I do that.
So I'm basically playing a G major chord over B's. So what that really breaks down to is
your left hand is playing B's, your right hand is playing G, D and another G if you
can - there is just one thing I need. And then you're gonna move up to just a regular
C major chord: C's in your left hand, G, C, E, and G in your right hand - I don't care
about the presents - and then you're gonna move to a C minor - underneath the Christmas
tree. So that's just C's in your left hand and everything else - everything that you
just played before that is the same except this E right here goes down to an E flat.
And then you're gonna move to - I just want you for my own - that part is you start with
a G so G's in your left hand, G, B, D, and G in your right hand. I just want you for
my own - then you're gonna play a B7 - this is where it gets interesting - B's in your
left hand, I play an A and a B with my thumb - if you can do that it will get you a fuller
sound and then with your two finger play a D sharp an F sharp with your three. If you
can reach another B you probably have pretty big hands and you can go for it otherwise
don't worry about that second B. So back it up a little bit, I just want you for my own.
Right. And then you're gonna jump so you've gone G to B7 then you're gonna go to an E
- more than you could ever know. That's actually an E minor so E's in your left hand, B, E,
and G in your right hand - more than you could ever know. On know you're going to play a
C minor six, so C's in your left hand, C, E flat, G, and an A - more than you could
ever know. Then this part: make my dreams come true, all Iwant for Christmas is you
- that part is just a basically you're playing a G over a B so in my right hand I'm playing
B, D, and G. In my left hand I'm playing a B. All I want for - sorry almost there - and
then the second of that little part, you're going to move your left hand to an E and your
right hand is going to stay where it is, so that's basically a G over an E - pretty simple
right? And then for the last two chords - all I want for Christmas - All I want for Christmas
is just a C major chord, so I'm playing G, C, E, and G in my right hand and that's all
over an A in my left hand - or tow. All I want for Christmas - Christmas, my right hand
stays where it is, plays that C and my left hand plays D's. Is you - and then from there
you have this little transition part. So that's the first two little intro parts. I know this
is kind of an involved one but if you are patient you can get it there a lot of similarities
between each part. So the transition sounds like this. That's almost impossible for me
to play - I don't know how they do it. They either have a really good piano player doing
it or someone just drank a lot of coffee before they started playing. So, you can just sort
of get away with just playing the chords. That transition part is similar to the last
part of that intro it's just a G major. And then an E minor. C over an A. C over a D,
so remember the G's are G's in your left hand, G, B, D, and G in your right hand. E minor,
you're going to play E's in your left hand. And you're going to play G, B, E, and G. This
C over an A is just a G, C, E, and G over an A. See that? And then right hand stays
where it is, C over a D. Okay so that's the transition block. The verse block sounds like
this: I don't want a lot for Christmas I wont even ask for snow - I don't know the lyrics
- that part , ah those three chords - I'm going to show you those. And those basically
just repeat. Alright? So, hopefully this is making sense. You're going to start with a
G there, so G's in your left hand, G, B, D, and G in your right hand. Don't worry about
the walk up for now, we'll do that later. Then you're going to get it over a C, so G
to a C. G, C, E, and G in your right hand over C's in your left hand. I don't care about
the presents, underneath the Christmas tree. Then you're going to move to a Cminor7 (actually
cm6). So G and A with your thumb if you can play it. A C with your two an E flat and if
you can reach it another G - all over C's. You play that twice. G, A, Bb, B if you want
to do the walk up. And then C. C minor 7. And then here's sort of like the second part
- the second half of the verse, which I think is very interesting. G, it sounds like this:
I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know - and it's gonna look familiar
from the last part that I showed you. So that second half of the verse sounds like, I mean
it's played like this. You've got G's in your left hand, G, B, D and G in your right hand
- that's a G major in your right hand. I just want you for my own - and you've got a B7
so B's in your left hand, A and B with your thumb if you can do it. A D sharp and an F
sharp and another B if you can reach it. More than you could ever - that much is just an
E minor so E's in your left hand, B, E, G, and A in your right hand. I'm sorry B, E,
G, and A. More than you could ever know - then to that C minor 6 - C's in your left hand,
C, Eb, G, A. And then this little - make my dreams come true, all I want for Christmas
is you - okay so that part should also look familiar. That's just a G over a B basically
here. So, G, B, D, and G in your right hand - G major - and B in your left hand. Make
my dream come true - and that's all over E minor and then switches to a G over an E - I
sorry I'm loosing my voice. B, D, and G, over an E in your left hand. All I want for - all
I want for is a C, over an A so G, C, E, and G over and A. And then, keep that right hand
where it is and move it up to a D in your left hand - Christmas is you. Alright cool?and
then you've got that transition block to G to E minor three four C over an A three four
C over a D. Okay? So that's, now you've learned the verse, so you've learned the intro, the
longer intro, the transition, the verse, the transition that you put back in there, and
then you're going to play the bridge. The bridge sounds like this. Sort of like that
- I know I'm totally mangling the song but I'm sure you're going to go listen to the
original after this and enjoy it a lot more that my singing. Anyway, the part you need
to know there for the bridge is a B7. B's in your left hand, A and B with your thumb,
E flat, G flat, and another B if you can reach it. And then you're going to switch to an
E minor. E's in your left hand, B, E, G, and B in your right hand. You just do that twice
so you're going to repeat it. B7. E minor. Okay than this next part, which I think is
also very interesting, is an E flat. So that's just E flat, B flat and E flat in your left
hand, G, B flat, and E flat in your right hand. Okay? Then you're going to play a G
over a D. So D's in your left hand, G, B, D, another G if you can reach it. And that's
going to shift to an E minor, so E's in your left hand, G, B, E, and another G in your
right hand. And then this familiar sort of ending part. C over an A, so G, C, E, and
G in your right hand over an A. And then that in your right hand is going to stay where
it is and you're just going to move your left hand up to D's. Please come out today. Cool.
So the last - the only other things you need to know is that the last verse has only the
first part of the verse is only played once, so I'll play through what I mean and I'll
just let you use your ears. And instead of repeating that part, it jumps right into...
right the second part. Okay? The other thing you need to know about the last verse is - make
my dreams come true, all I want for Christmas - you hold that C over a D, for like a whole
bunch of time. Is you - okay?and once you hit "is you" all you need is the ending vamp,
which is really easy - it's just four chords and you've played them already. It's a G to
three four, E minor three four, C over an A, C over a D and you just repeat that until
the song is over. So I'll slow down and show you what that is exactly if you forget, three
four. One two three four. It's just a G, so G's in your left hand, G, B, D, and G in your
right hand. E minor is E's in your left hand, G, B, E, and G in your right hand if you can
reach it. If you can't reach these notes just leave a couple of them out. C over an A, so
your left hand is playing A's, your right hand is playing G, C, E, and G. And then C
over D - your left hand plays D's and your right hand stays where it is. G, C, E, and
G. Okay? And you just vamp that four chord part. Alright? So I know this has a lot of
different parts that you sort of have to remember but I don't know, I hope it helped you. Don't
forget to rate comment and subscribe and I'll see you next time.