Silent Night sheet music (easy)

Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863), Level 2 · Beginner, 0:33

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Silent Night (Easy), keyboard staff, page 1 of 1Silent Night (Easy)Franz Xaver Gruber (1787–1863). Regular keyboard staff. Print at 100%, not fit-to-page.CCDDEFFGGAABBold red line: C4 · Solid line: other Cs, D F G A · Dotted grey line: E | F and B | CC3C5341GAGEEGAGEEDDBBCGCGGDC3C54CCGGAACBAGAGEECGFCCGC3C57AACBAGAGEEDDFDBFCCGGDC3C510CEECGEGFDCCGCGCGSource: Site-owned easy edition. Melody: Stille Nacht, 1818, public domain, taken from The Open Hymnal Project (http://openhymnal.org/Abc/Silent_Night-Stille_Nacht.abc). Left hand written for this site.Silent Night (Easy) · Page 1 of 1
A handwritten score of Stille Nacht
Stille Nacht, in Franz Xaver Gruber's hand. Franz Xaver Gruber, c. 1860. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Key facts

Level
Level 2 · Beginner. Estimated from the notes (0 of 8 on our difficulty score)
Time signature
3/4
Key signature
No sharps or flats
Length
12 bars, 1 page
Playing time
0:33
Notes
70
Range
C3 to F5

Source and licence

Licence of the source: Public domain melody (Open Hymnal per-file statement).

Source: Site-owned easy edition. Melody: Stille Nacht, 1818, public domain, taken from The Open Hymnal Project. Left hand written for this site.

Source: The Open Hymnal Project.

Playback sounds: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0); Upright Piano KW by Gonzalo and Roberto of FreePats (CC0 1.0); Fluid R3 GM by Frank Wen and contributors (CC BY 3.0). Full sound credits.

How to play Silent Night (Easy)

A rocking lullaby in three. All white keys, and the left hand plays the same rocking pattern almost all the way through.

Where your hands go

Right hand: the tune starts G4, A4, G4, E4. Thumb on E4, with G4 and A4 under fingers 3 and 4.

Left hand: a half note and a quarter note in each bar, such as C3 then G3. Little finger on C3, thumb on G3.

It is in C major and 3/4.

The tricky bars

Bars 1–2
E4 is tied from an eighth note to a quarter note, so it sounds as one long note. Hold it, do not play it twice.
Bars 3–4
The right hand moves up to D5 and C5, with ties after B4 and G4.
Bars 9–10
The highest notes: D5, D5, F5, D5, B4, then C5 and a tied E5.
Bars 11–12
The tune falls home: C5, G4, E4, G4, F4, D4, then C4.

Your practice plan

  1. Right hand alone, bars 1 to 4, counting "1 and 2 and 3 and".
  2. Left hand alone, the rocking pattern of half note then quarter note.
  3. Hands together, bars 1 to 4, then 5 to 8.
  4. Learn bars 9 to 12, the climb and the way home.
  5. Play it all with Listen on, slowly and softly.

Watch out for

  • Restriking tied notes in bars 1 to 4, 6, 8 and 10.
  • Playing it in two. Feel three beats in every bar.
  • Missing the climb to F5 in bar 9, the highest note of the piece.

Power-up: press Loop, tap the first and last of the tricky bars, and they repeat until they feel easy. Hands in Options lets you practise one hand at a time. New to the notation? Start with how to read keyboard staff, then how to practise piano.