How to play “What Child Is This”
In my opinion, this is one of the best Christmas songs ever written because it contains three elements that are appealing to everyone. First it declares the arrival and majesty of Jesus Christ clearly and boldly but (and secondly) it is catchy and easy to sing even for people who don’t make it to church that often and/or for people who don’t consider themselves good singers. Third: you only need to know six chords to play it on keyboards or guitar.
Your first a mission is to go listen to the song so you can hear the mood of the song, and catch the waltzy 6/8 flow of the rhythm: 1,2,3,4,5,6…1,2,3,4,5,6…1,2,3,4,5,6…1,2,3,4,5,6…etc.
If you need to, brush up on recognizing your chords/chord symbols. If you do not have the time to do that, don’t worry: I have broken down every chord and every chord symbol for you in this lesson. I have shown you the best fingers to use on each key (so it is easier to move around the keyboard…the best advice my mother gave me was “If it’s too hard to play, then you are playing it wrong”). That may not be entirely accurate, but it always made me look for ways to play songs in their easiest forms, as long as I didn’t diminish the quality or robustness of the song, or it’s sound. And as long as it is easier for you to play, the easier it will be to put your own twist on it.
Bottom line, no matter how plain or fancy a rendition you hear, What Child Is This is a song that is based on six (6) chords. I have included the lyrics and chords in this lesson…the chord is to be played with the lyric it appears above, and held until you come to the next chord/lyric. I recommend a soft organ or strings setting on your keyboard (or any sound that if you lay on the keys, it plays continually until you change chords…)
So, from me to you, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and sing the Lord His praises on Christmas Morning, and all year round! Stay Prayed Up!
*ALL CHORDS PLAYED WITH THE RIGHT HAND WILL BE PLAYED WITH THE Thumb, Middle finger and pinky finger (with the thumb placed on the first note, the middle finger being placed on the middle note and the pinky finger being placed on the third key of the triad.) noir.
D is the white keys between the pair of two black keys.
F is the white keys that is directly to the left of the set of three black keys.
A is the white key that sits between the 2nd and 3rd black keys in the group of three black keys
C is the white key directly to the left of the pair of two black keys.
E is the white key directly to the right of the pair of two black keys.
G is the white key that sits between the first and second black keys in the group of three black keys.
Bb is the third black key (on the right) in the set of three black keys.
C# is the first black key in the pair of two black keys.
