How To Play Angels We Have Heard On High

"Angels We Have Heard on High" is a Christmas carol in the public domain. The song commemorates the story of the birth of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of Luke, in which shepherds outside Bethlehem encounter a multitude of angels singing and praising the newborn child.
http://en.wikipedia.org

I love the group Pentatonics Video version of the song.

Key of C

C              G        C
Angels we have heard on high,
C               G           C
Singing sweetly through the night,
C                 G  C
And the mountains in reply
C             G       C
Echoing their brave delight.            

CHORUS:
C  A7  Dm  G  C  F  G
Gloria...............
C  G  C  F  G
in excelsis Deo.
C  A7  Dm  G  C  F  G
Gloria...............
C  G  C F   G    C
in excelsis Deo.

C                   G   C
Shepherds, why this jubilee?
C                  G     C
Why these songs of happy cheer?
C                     G       C
What great brightness did you see?
C                G       C
What glad tiding did you hear? 

Key of D

D     F#m      A        D
Angels we have heard on high,
 D   A   D       A         D
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
 Bm F#m  Bm       A     D
And the mountains in reply
 D A D         A       D
Echoing their joyous strains.

chorus:
 D B Em A D G A   D  A  D  G   D  A
Glo-----------ria in excelsis Deo,
 D B Em A D G A   D  A  D  G   D  A  D
Glo-----------ria in excelsis De----o.

Key of E

E                       D2
Angels we have heard on high,
 E                       D2
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
 E                     D2
And the mountains in reply
 E                    A2       
Echoing their joyous strains.

chorus:
 E F#m7 E/G#  A2    E     F#m7(b5)
Glo-----------ria in excelsis Deo,
 E F#m/E E F#m7(b5)/E E/A D    E//// l ///D2//
Glo-----------ria in excelsis De----o.


Key of F


F                Gm7(b5)/F
Angels we have heard on high,
Cm7(4)
Sweetly singing o'er the plains,
 Dm7              F+/C#
And the mountains in reply
 F/C            Bb    Gm7(b5)
Echoing their joyous strains.

chorus:
 F Gm7 F/A Bb2    F   Bb  F/C  Gm/C
Glo-----------ria in excelsis Deo,
 F Gm7 F/A Bb Eb Bb/D F/C Eb   F //// l /// Eb // l F
Glo-----------ria in excelsis De----o.

Key of F


F   Dm Gm7 C FM7 Bb C F C F C F B F/C  C

Refrain: Glo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ria in Excelsis De-o (2x)



Verse 1

F        Am        Csus  C   F

Angels we have heard on high

F     C    F       F/C  C      F

sweetly singing o'er the plains

F          Am        Csus C F

and the mountains in reply

F C   F     F/A  F/C C    F

echo back their joyous strains.

(Repeat Refrain)






Verse 2

F               Am     Csus C F

Shepherds, why this  Jubilee?

F      C     F       F/C     C     F

Why your joyous strains prolong?

F             Am     Csus C   F

Say what may the tidings be,  

  F        C  F    F/A  F/C  C    F

Which inspire your heavenly song?

(Repeat Refrain)



Verse 3

  F        Am   Csus   C   F

Come to Bethlehem and see

 F     C     F        F/A     C  F

Him whose birth the angels sing;

F          Am       Csus C  F

Come, adore on bended knee

 F        C   F     F/A F/C  C     F

Christ, the Lord, the newborn King.

(Repeat Refrain)



Verse 4

F          Am  Csus C  F

See Him in a manger laid,

F  C     F        F/C      C   F

Jesus, Lord of heaven and earth!

F        Am      Csus  C   F

Mary, Joseph, lend your aid,

F  C  F    F/A  F/C  C   F

celebrate our Savior's birth.

(Repeat Refrain) 



Here are some chords charts of the same song from my other blog, http://ladydpiano.blogspot.com, along with 4 free videos.

Have a wonderful Christmas season!







"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

How To Play Christmas Time Is Here

Performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio from A Charlie Brown Christmas album, here are the chords to
Christmas Time Is Here. The words are by Lee Mendelson and of course the music is by the famous Vince Guaraldi, written in 1966. I love the tune played slowly with the pedal in 3/4 time signature. For more information, visit www.vinceguaraldi.com/

Piano Chord Progression Chart

Fmaj7             Eb7 
Christmas time is here 
Fmaj7         Eb7  
Happiness and cheer 
Bm7        Bb7   Am7 
Fun for all that children call   
Ab7 Gm            C      F 
Their favorite time of the year  

 
Fmaj7             Eb7 
Snowflakes in the air 
Fmaj7       Eb7 
Carols everywhere 
Bm7          Bb7 Am7 
Olden times and  ancient rhymes  
Ab7 Gm              C  F 
Of   love and dreams to share 
 
 
Dbmaj7               Gbmaj7  
Sleigh bells in the air 
Dbmaj7      Gbmaj7 
Beauty everywhere 
F            Eb7 D7 
Yuletide by the  fireside 
Am    Gm7         F   C   
And joyful memories there 

  
Fmaj7             Eb7 
Christmas time is here 
Fmaj7            Eb7 
We'll be drawing near 
Bm7          Bb7  Am7 
Oh, that we could always see 
Ab7   Gm             C   F  
Such spirit through the year 
  

Jazzy Instrumental part...  
 

Dbmaj7               Gbmaj7  
Sleigh bells in the air 
Dbmaj7      Gbmaj7 
Beauty everywhere 
F            Eb7 D7 
Yuletide by the  fireside 
Am    Gm7         F   C   
And joyful memories there 

  
Fmaj7             Eb7 
Christmas time is here 
Fmaj7            Eb7 
We'll be drawing near 
Bm7          Bb7  Am7 
Oh, that we could always see 
Ab7   Gm             C   F  
Such spirit through the year 

http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com

Easy Version Piano Playing Chords in the Key of C

Intro:
Am

Am                 C
Christmas time is here
Am             C
Happiness and cheer
F                  Em
Fun for all that children call
       Dm                   Cadd9
Their favorite time of the year

Am                C
Snowflakes in the air
Am            C
Carols everywhere
F               Em
Olden times and ancient rhymes
    Dm                  Cadd9
Of love and dreams to share
[ Tab from: http://www.guitaretab.com/a/a-fine-frenzy/294191.html ]
  G#                 Eb
Sleigh bells in the air
G#           Eb
Beauty everywhere
C                Am
Yuletide by the fireside
     F                Cadd9
And joyful memories there

Am                 C
Christmas time is here
Am                C
We'll be drawing near
F                 Em
Oh, that we could always see
       Dm                 Cadd9
Such spirit through the year

Am, C, Am, C
F, Em, Dm, Cadd9  x2

  G#                 Eb
Sleigh bells in the air
G#           Eb
Beauty everywhere
C                Am
Yuletide by the fireside
     F                Cadd9
And joyful memories there

Am                 C
Christmas time is here
Am                C
We'll be drawing near
F                 Em
Oh, that we could always see
       Dm                 C
Such spirit through the year

http://www.guitaretab.com

Chords for the Intermediate Player

This piano arrangement is from some sheet music I have in my Christmas notebook to share.

Intro:

Fmaj9 C13b9 Fmaj9 C13b9 Fmaj9 Eb13#11 Christmas time is here Fmaj9 Eb13#11 Happiness and cheer Bm7b5 Bbm7 Am7 Abm7 Fun for all that children call Gm7 Bb/C Fmaj9 Their favorite time of the year Fmaj9 Eb13#11 Snowflakes in the air Fmaj9 Eb13#11 Carols everywhere Bm7b5 Bbm7 Abm7 Olden times and ancient rhymes Gm7 Bb/C Fmaj9 Of love and dreams to share [ Tab from: http://www.guitaretab.com/a/a-fine-frenzy/294191.html ] Dbmaj7 Gb13#11 Sleigh bells in the air Dbmaj7 Gb13#11 Beauty everywhere Am7 Eb9 D7 Yuletide by the fireside Gm7 Db9 C13 And joyful memories there Fmaj9 Eb13#11 Christmas time is here Fmaj9 Eb13#11 We'll be drawing near Bm7b5 Am7 Abm7 Oh, that we could always see Gm7 Bb/C Fmaj9 Such spirit through the year Eb13#11, Fmaj9, Eb13#11, Bm7b5 Bbm7, Am7, Abm7, Gm7, Bb/C, Fmaj9 x2 Dbmaj7 Gb13#11 Sleigh bells in the air Dbmaj7 Gb13#11 Beauty everywhere Am7 Eb9 D7 Yuletide by the fireside Gm7 Db9 C13 And joyful memories there Fmaj9 Eb13#11 Christmas time is here Fmaj9 Eb13#11 We'll be drawing near Bm7b5 Am7 Abm7 Oh, that we could always see Gm Bb/C Fmaj9 Such spirit through the year

I like the sound of these dreamy chords.

C13b9 = CBb/DbEA

Eb13#11 = Eb/DbA

Db9 = DbCb/EbA

You can purchase the CD at:

A Charlie Brown Christmas [2012 Remastered & Expanded Edition]

And start playing in all 12 keys with Instant Transposer Software

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Have a wonderful Christmas season!

 
"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

The Frim Fram Sauce (Piano Chords)

• Story of The Frim Fram Sauce

The Frim Fram Sauce" is a jazz song, made famous by The Nat King Cole Trio and performed by a variety of musicians over the years. "The Frim Fram Sauce" was written in 1945. The lyrics were written by Redd Evans, who wrote words to a number of Cole songs. The music was composed by Joe Ricardel, known as the co-writer of the "Brooklyn Dodger Jump", among others.

"The Frim Fram Sauce" is best remembered for its silly lyrics. The narrator speaks to a waiter in a restaurant, as if in the process of ordering food. Throughout the song, the customer lists numerous real foods that he doesn't want, such as pork chops and fish cakes. In the chorus, he explains what he really wants: some "frim fram sauce" with the "oss and fay" /ˈɒs.nˌfeɪ/ and "shifafa" /ʃəˈfɑːfə/ on the side. (The spelling is uncertain; we could instead have "oss'n'fay" or "ussinfay" /ˈʌs.nˌfeɪ/), and "shafafa.")

At the end, the narrator character says: "If you don't have it, just bring me a check for the water!" This may be interpreted as the character performing a scam: he wanted the water (which is customarily served free to customers at restaurants before they order), and makes up nonsense words for dishes as he has no intention of really ordering anything (which he would have to pay for), and he knows that he will not be charged for the water.

• View the YouTube video at Diana Krall: Frim Fram Sauce

Enjoy this gifted jazz player with her guitarist and bass player. She's an incredible artist.

• The Frim Fram Sauce Chord Chart

Play the song with a medium swing in the Key of Eb

Intro:

Eb9

Eb9/G

Ab13

Adim7

Eb9/G

C7b9

F7b9

Bb13

Adim7

Ab13

Eb9/G

C7

F7

Bb7sus

Eb

Eb       Eb            
I don't want french fried po - ta - toes,  
                Gb13
Red ripe to - ma - toes, 
F7                 Bbm7 
I'm nev- er sat - is - fied. 
 A7      Ab7           Adim7           Eb/Bb  C7 

I want the frim fram sauce with the aus - en fay 
           F7      Bb7  Eb C7
With shi - fa - fa on the side. 
 
 
  Fm7   Bb7sus Eb         
I don't want pork chops and ba - con,  
               C7   F7
That won't a - wa - ken 
   F7        
My ap - pe - tite in - side. 
Bbm7  A7   Ab7       Adim7       Eb/Bb       C7
I want the frim fram sauce with the oss - en fay 
           Fm7     Bb7b9  Eb 
With shi - fa - fa on the side. 
 
Bridge: 
   A7             Bbm7      Eb7          Abmaj7 
Well, you know a girl, she really got to eat 
F7     Bbm7    Eb7        Abmaj7
And a girl she should eat right. 
Cm7      F7       Bbmaj7
Five will get you ten 
G7b9       Cm7         F7    Bb7 
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight. 
 
 
              Eb
I don't want fish cakes and rye bread -  
                 C7

You heard what I said. 
F7        C7              F7
Waiter, please serve mine fried 
   F7      Ab7       Adim7          Eb/Bb    C7 
I want the frim fram sauce with the aus - en fay 
           Fm7     Bb7    Eb 
With shi - fa - fa on the side. 

Outro

Cm7

Bm7

Bbm7

A13

Ab9

Adim7

Gm7

B/D#

Fm11

Bb7#9(b13)

Eb6/9

You may be interested in the music resource, Jazz Intensive Training Center

Have fun with the song! Wishing you and yours happiness in celebrating Thanksgiving Day. I am thankful for you, dear readers.

Blessings,





"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

Learn to Play The Heart of Life

Photo Credit: phaewilk

The Heart of Life

Words and Music by John Mayer

Copyright © 2006 Sony/ATV Tunes LLC and Specific Harm Music



I'm a fan of John Mayer's music. Although best suited for the guitar, I love hearing my students play some of his songs on the piano. This is a cool selection from Continuum. Play the song moderately, in 2. The song is recorded a half step higher.

Intro C – Am- Em – F – C/E – G 

      C - Am- Em - F - C/E - G

C                         Am
I hate to see you cry
                         Em  F  C G
Laying there in that position

C                          Am
There's things you need to hear
                   Em   F  C/E G
So turn off your tears and listen

G               C             F
Pain throws you heart to the ground
G               C             F
Love turns the whole thing around
G             C         F        C/E
No, it won't all go the way, it should
       F       C/E       G       C
But I know the heart of life is good

C                     Am
You know it's nothing new
                Em  F    C/E  G
Bad news never had good timing
C                        Am
Then the circle of your friends
                 Em F   C/E G
Will defend the silver lining

G                        C                F
Pain throws you heart to the ground
G                     C                  F
Love turns the whole thing around
G                 C             F          C
No, it won't all go the way, it should
         F             C           G       C
But I know the heart of life is good

(Play verse and chorus with no lyrics)

G               C                F
Pain throws you heart to the ground
G               C                F
Love turns the whole thing around
G            C           F       C/E
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
         F      C/E      F      C/E
But I know the heart of life is good
   G                               
I know it’s good

Here's the chord breakdown to the song.

Intro C – Am- Em – F – C – G – C (played like the first part of the verse)

C/CE I hate to see you 

A/ACE cry lying there in 

E/GBE that 

F/ACF position

C/CE There's things you need to 

A/ACE hear So turn off your 

E/GBE tears 

F/ACF and 

E/GCE lis-

G/GBD ten

                                     
GG/GB Pain 

GG/GC throws 

GG/GD your 

C/GCE heart 

C/GD  to 

C/GC  the 

FF/CFA ground

                    
G/GB Love 

G/GC turns 

G/GD the 

C/GCE whole 

C/GD thing 

C/GC a-

F/CFA round

G/GB No, 

G/GC it 

G/GD won't 

C/GCE all 

C/GD go 

C/GC the 

F/CFA way, 

F/CFA it 

E/EGC should but I 

F/CFA know the 
E/EGC heart of 
G/BD life is 
C/CEG good

                                
C/CE You know it's nothing 

A/ACE new Bad news never 

E/GBE had 

F/ACF good 

E/GCE tim-

G/GBD ing

C/CE But then the circle of your 

A/ACE friends Will defend the 

E/GBE sil-

F/ACF ver 

E/EGC li-

G/GBD ning

                                        
G/GB Pain throws you 

C/GCE heart to the 

F/CFA ground
G/GB Love turns the 

C/GCE whole thing a-

F/CFA round
                
G/GB No, it won't 

C/GCE all go the 

F/CFA way, it 

E/EGC should but I
F/CFA know the 

E/EGC heart of 

G/BD life is 

C/CEG good

(Play verse and chorus with no lyrics)

                                        
G/DGB Pain throws your 

C/EGC heart to the 

FF/ACA ground
G/DGB Love turns the 

C/EGC whole thing 

FF/ACA around

G/DGB Fear is a 

C/GCE friend who's mis-

F/CFA under

E/EGC stood but I
F/CFA know the 

E/EGC heart of 

F/ACE life is 

E/GC good
G/BDA I know it’s good

For other chord charts to John Mayer songs, visit When You're Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Do you have a favorite John Mayer song?

If you enjoy singing and performing and you've been thinking of taking voice lessons, have a look at Vocals from Hear and Play.

*affiliate links in this post*


All the best,







"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

Dave Brubeck: Changing Times

Take 5 is one of my favorite songs. The catchy melody remains popular with multitudes of Dave Brubeck fans. Here is an earlier post I did on the chord breakdown for Take 5.

I recently looked at an interview with Dave Brubeck and his wife as part of the NAMM Oral History  Program by Eliahu Sussman and Christian Wissmuller. Here are a few snippets.

• Dave Brubeck: Changing Times

With the insatiable musical curiosity and ingenuity, Dave Brubeck helped legitimize jazz as an art form in the 1940s and '50s. Brubeck is also widely credited with bringing jazz into the public eye, popularizing the genre without sacrificing his own musical integrity or his music's dazzling complexity. Time Out, released by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1959, was a landmark recording and remains one of the top selling jazz albums of all time. From the very beginning, it was evident that Brubeck had a special gift.

• Dave Brubeck: Childhood

His first music lessons came at a very early age from his mother Bessie, who was a pianist. "She could see that I wasn't a typical student," says Brubeck, "so she started teaching me more from the harmonic side of things. I always tried to write things - of course, I couldn't write when I was 4 or 5 years old, but she'd write them for me. I was always interested in making my own music, so I never became a classical pianist."

• When Jazz was "Evil"

Apart from his musical family, some of Brubeck's most important influences were his professors who taught counterpoint... But you couldn't even practice jazz in the practice rooms. That's how strict it was. It was that way in every school, just frowned upon. 

"The crossover that we've seen at the University of the Pacific - at first, it was like, "What are these jazz kids doing on campus? But it's at the point now where one might say, "Who's your best piano piano student?" and the answer is, "Well, the one who is in the jazz band."

Brubeck recounts how jazz faced an uphill battle for acceptance. "My wife remembers a copy of The Etude magazine where it said something about the evils of jazz." On cue, Iola Brubeck, Dave's wife for over 60 years, adds, "Etude was a magazine for music teachers, and this was in the twenties. It had quotes from various very well known teachers to keep jazz out of the classroom."

(PianoDiana) I wanted to add that in 1937, Dave's mother heard Art Tatum play Humoresque on the radio and was so impressed that somebody could play that and then improvise on it.

• Dave Brubeck: Mentors

Darius Milhaud was really the greatest influence on me in classical music and composition... One of the ways in which Milhaud influenced Mr. Brubeck was by encouraging originality. "He liked what I did harmonically. He could see that there was a tendency to go towards polytonality...

Joe Gilman is one teacher that I admire so much. He teaches theory and arranging, but he's a great pianist. He teaches them and coaches the combos...

Final Thoughts

Brubeck speaks of the amazing synergy he had with saxophonist Paul Desmond... The ease at which they were able to play together, says Brubeck, came from having an appreciation of the same kinds of music. "We both liked Bach and Stravinsky and Ravel, and show tunes. We had the same taste in what we liked in music. When we improvised, we would both draw on the same kinds of music to incorporate that approach, especially Bach.

Finding the musical connection that Desmond and Brubeck had, that "click," is unpredictable at best. "You find 'it' if you are lucky or simpatico - in five minutes you might find 'it' with one musician, and you might work five years with another guy and never find 'it'."

(PianoDiana) I just wanted to say that whether you play on the worship team at your church or do local gigs in the community, practice listening to recordings over and over to improve your own personal playing and then indeed, you're very fortunate if you have the chemistry with one another. It's hard to put in words the magic of riding the sound waves together while performing. You just 'click'!

I hope some bits and pieces from the interview has helped you to get to know Dave Brubeck better. He is surely missed but his music legacy lives on... true greatness.

Take a look at the music program Hear and Play offers, Jazz Intensive Training Center

Plus, you don't want to miss these great sounding cds!

Gone With the Wind
Indian Summer
A Dave Brubeck Christmas
50 Years of Dave Brubeck: Live At the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-2007

*some affiliate links in this post*

A special thanks to all who serve in the military to keep our country safe on Veteran's Day.

All the best,






"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey