Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire Tutorial
In this lesson we will be creating a jazzy version of Mel Torme’s ‘The Christmas Song’. The tune is also known as ‘Chesnuts Roasting On An Open Fire’ and this sentence is the first line of the lyrics.
You will find versions of this song in a number of different keys and we are going to be playing it in the key of C Major.
Upper Structure Triads, Suspended Harmony, & Passing Chords
We’ll be applying a number of jazz concepts to the tune including upper structure triads, suspended harmony, passing chords and also some examples of diminished harmony.
A Great Tune For Rehamonisation
This is one of the most popular Christmas tunes amongst jazz musicians because the chord changes are great for reharmonisation.
Reharmonisation which is where we replace or enhance the original chords with jazzier sounding chords that often contain extensions and alterations.
Lesson Downloads
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“The Christmas Song” Chord Changes File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
We start the lesson by recapping the basic theory behind sus chords and then explore them in context of major and minor 251s
Passing chords are temporary stepping stones between chords, adding variety and making your playing sound more interesting & dynamic.
We explore the voicing options for major chords under each note of the Lydian Mode which is a common scale to play over major chords.
Practice Tips
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The tune follows an AABA form so 75% of the tune follows the same chord changes and progressions.
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Understanding this will help you learn and memorise the tune.
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For the different repeating A Sections, you can experiment by playing the melody in different registers of the piano for variety.
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In this arrangement, we incorporate some interesting Sus chords and suspended harmony. Check out the related lessons above for more information.
I do not mean to belabor my point about multiple transcriptions (posted in community) but I feel I need to point this out.
I absolutely love this tune. However, due to the complexity of the transcription provided, I have zero chance of playing this anytime soon. This is a perfect example of why I believe multiple transcriptions would be a winner for this site. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could select transcription #1 (beginner) or #2 (slightly more complex) and then have something to play for Christmas ? Please do not take this as a criticism or your site. I think it is a great site and I recently joined for the year. This transcription thing, I believe, would greatly enhance the value of this site. I have said my piece and will not bring it up again. Thanks
Hello, I am with Don on this. I am a beginner and find it much easier when I have succeeded at the beginner level and then move to the more complex arrangement.
Joe
Thanks for the feedback Joseph… in response to Don’s feedback we did create the beginner X-mas tutorials last year.
Definitely check out those beginner arrangements before moving onto the more advanced ones.
We use the same lead sheet, and as you say, once we have mastered the basic harmonies we can then add more interesting chord changes.
Here to help if you have any other questions.
Cheers!
Hayden
Great lesson and arrengement. it sounds great and it is cool to play
Hello,
Is there a lesson in the syllabus that covers inner chord movements and tagged endings? For inner chord movement I wanted to know what notes on the scale should be played when performing such technique I wanted to understand how you can get the motif of a song and arrange with a tagged ending when ending it. Thanks in advance and great lesson as always!
Thanks so much for the transcriptions! ahhh now am confused which one to learn first 😀 all sounding beautiful to our ears 😀
Great lesson, thank you. I am not a beginner but this had some great ideas that I had not previously considered, so thank you. My jazz piano playing is better already! And I only joined yesterday.
Thanks Robert and welcome to PianoGroove!
I’m glad to hear your playing has improved already.
Also be sure to check out our live seminars – https://www.pianogroove.com/live-seminars/
In the following 2 seminars I used the Christmas tune “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” to apply and explore the concepts:
– https://www.pianogroove.com/live-seminars/arranging-jazz-standards/
– https://www.pianogroove.com/live-seminars/how-to-reharmonise-melody/
There are also lots of other cool topics that you can dive into in the live seminar archives.
Stay safe and enjoy the lessons!
Cheers,
Hayden
Hi Hayden
I’ve been learning this song and have already learnt winter wonderland And have yourself a merry little Xmas which are both in Key of Bb. Do you have a tip for modulating from Bb into the key of Cmajor linking me into the Christmas song I just think this is easier rather than learning the whole song again in a different key.
Appreciate your suggestions or examples
Karl
Thanks for putting this arrangement together Hayden. It’s beautiful and wonderful to play.
Enjoyed the lesson.
Karl