Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney is such a huge favourite at Christmas. So this funny little song makes an excellent choice for piano beginners and the easy piano sheet music is perfect for building confidence and getting them hooked!
When Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney Easy Piano Sheet Music Tutorial
- If the child doesn’t already know the song, sing and play it to them first. This piece is about having some Christmassy fun!
- Depending on the age and ability of the child, this may be broken up over two or three lessons. Don’t necessarily expect them to be able to achieve the whole piece at once.
- Now sing it together clapping the rhythm as you sing, making sure the child is familiar with the 6/8 time signature. Explain that it goes with swing and the bar divides into two dotted crotchet beats.
- Start with the RH in the beginners position with thumb (1) on middle C.
- Attempt the first phrase very slowly, drawing attention to the 3rd bar fingering where the thumb (1) has to be passed under the fingers to play the G on the ‘chim’ of chimney. Just like in the scale of C major, explain that this happens so you don’t run out of fingers!
- Work through each phrase by phrase. First clapping the rhythm, then saying or singing the names of the notes together slowly. If the child feels happy to do so, they can do this on there own. A very good exercise in note reading.
Download Santa Got Stuck Up The Chimney Easy Piano Sheet Music.
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- Point out the place where the 2 has to step down a note, over the 1 on the D next to middle C on ‘pull’ before playing C – G with 1 – 5 on ‘me out’
- Now point out they must prepare for the next phrase ‘My beard is black’ etc. by moving the hand up to a higher position with the thumb (1) on G (My) so that the 5 can easily reach the higher C an octave above middle C. Play the rest of the descending phrase as written.
- Use the 5 on’Tick-er-ly’ to make sure that you don’t run out of fingers.
- Repeat the next phrase as before, but build a crescendo on the ‘Atchoos’ and follow the fingering carefully, again to make sure you don’t run out of fingers (noticing that the 5 steps up one note higher so as to reach the D on the last Atchoo!
- Playing the RH correctly may be enough of a challenge for the stage that they are at, but they shouldn’t attempt the LH until they can play it easily.
- The LH becomes much easier if you give them some preparation finding and understanding the chords first. Spend some time playing C, F & G chords, to allow them to become accustomed and recognise the notes.
- Then work through the left hand on it’s own, recognising where the C, F & G chords occur (write them in under the notes) as this will help a lot when they try to play hands together.
- Practice several times the downward path of 3rds, which occurs twice on the middle two lines with the 1-3, 2-4 hopping downwards, ending on the 5th of the G chord.
- The last line is almost the same as the first, except for the last two bars. This is made up mainly of the C chord, with the hand shifting down to play one low G chord just before the final forte, octave C in the last bar on the last loud Atch-oo!
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