God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is the oldest tune in our Christmas collection, and the interactive player below is the surest way to learn it: hear it at half speed, watch the notes and keys light up, and drag the score to repeat any bar. Sheet music, fingering for both hands, and a free printable PDF come next.
Learn it with the interactive player
- Slow it down: x0.5 or x0.75 while you learn the notes, back to x1 once they flow.
- Pause anywhere: the current keys stay lit so you can find them on your own piano.
- Drag the score left or right, or use the 15s buttons, to replay a phrase.
The sheet music, section by section
Section A is the verse: from the upbeat A4 the melody leaps to E5-E5-D5 and marches down C5-B4-A4-G4, the G natural that makes the carol sound five hundred years old, then A4-B4-C5-D5 rises to a long E5. To save us all climbs F5-D5-E5-F5, G5-A5-E5-D5 before sinking C5-A4-B4-C5 to a held D5. Play it at x0.5 over the bare A2-E3 drone.
Section B is the refrain: after the half-bar upbeat C5-D5, O tidings rings out on E5-F5-E5, E5-D5-C5-B4 at f, drops to p for the echo A4, C5-B4-A4, then climbs one last time E5-F5-G5-A5 over the walking bass before E5-D5-C5-B4 settles on a long A4. Loop measures 12-13 at x0.75 for the thumb-under.
The full score
Hands together from 84 BPM, the left hand moves mostly in half notes, so count aloud. Shape the terraces, mf verse, f at To save us all, subito p echo in measure 11, f final climb, and build toward the 112 BPM Moderato; this carol should stride, not gallop.
Note by note: keys and fingering
- Right hand: Home frame with the thumb (1) on A4, index (2) on B4, middle (3) on C5, ring (4) on D5 and pinky (5) on E5, expanding upward for the two climbs to A5. The score marks a finger substitution on a held E5, a thumb-under and one crossover of the index onto G4, all three Level 3 hand moves in one carol.
- Left hand: Open-fifth drones, pinky (5) on A2 and thumb (1) on E3, and slow two-note bass lines with the index (2) on D3 and B2. Measure 13 walks A2-B2-C3-D3 in quarters with 4-3-2-1 under the final climb, and measure 14 drops to a low E2 with the pinky.
| Note | On the Staff | On the Keyboard | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4 | Second line of treble staff | White key between the first two of three black keys above middle C | RH Index (2) |
| A4 | Second space of treble staff | White key between the last two of three black keys above middle C | RH Thumb (1) |
| B4 | Middle line of treble staff | White key right of the three black keys above middle C | RH Index (2) |
| C5 | Third space of treble staff | One octave above middle C | RH Middle (3) |
| D5 | Fourth line of treble staff | White key between the two black keys above C5 | RH Ring (4) |
| E5 | Fourth space of treble staff | White key right of the two black keys above C5 | RH Pinky (5) |
| F5 | Top line of treble staff | White key left of the three black keys above C5 | RH Middle (3) |
| G5 | Space just above the treble staff | White key between the first two of three black keys above C5 | RH Ring (4) |
| A5 | First ledger line above the treble staff | White key between the last two of three black keys above C5 | RH Pinky (5) |
| E2 | First ledger line below the bass staff | White key right of the two black keys, two octaves below E4 | LH Pinky (5) |
| F2 | Space just below the bottom line of the bass staff | White key left of the three black keys, two octaves below F4 | LH Pinky (5) |
| G2 | Bottom line of bass staff | White key between the first two of three black keys, an octave and a fourth below middle C | LH Pinky (5) |
| A2 | First space of bass staff | White key between the last two of three black keys, an octave and a third below middle C | LH Pinky (5) |
| B2 | Second line of bass staff | White key right of the three black keys, an octave and a step below middle C | LH Index (2) |
| C3 | Second space of bass staff | One octave below middle C | LH Index (2) |
| D3 | Third line of bass staff | White key between the two black keys below middle C | LH Index (2) |
| E3 | Third space of bass staff | White key right of the two black keys below middle C | LH Thumb (1) |
Prefer a video? Watch the keys light up
Same color code as the player: green marks the right hand, blue the left hand, with the score and keyboard in one vertical video.
The story behind God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is one of the oldest English carols still sung; the melody circulated for centuries before William Sandys printed it in his 1833 collection Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern. Charles Dickens quoted it ten years later in A Christmas Carol, where Scrooge threatens a street singer mid-verse. The comma matters: God rest ye merry means God keep you cheerful, so the gentlemen were already merry. The tune's dark colour comes from its pure minor mode, leaning on G natural, the lowered seventh step, instead of a modern leading tone. This arrangement keeps that ancient modal sound intact in A minor over drones and slow single-note bass lines.
Get the printable PDF
The printable PDF of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - full score, hand positions, and a step-by-step practice guide - ships inside our free Christmas pack together with fourteen other carols.
A verse that strides rather than gallops needs a grounded seat, and an Adjustable Piano Bench with Back Support keeps your weight settled through every scale run.
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FAQ
How hard is God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen on piano?
It is a Level 3 piece in our Christmas collection, and the first in a minor key. The right hand covers G4 to A5 with a finger substitution, a thumb-under and a crossover, the left hand plays open-fifth drones and slow single notes from E2 to E3, and the refrain needs a sudden drop to piano.
How long does it take to learn God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
Three to four weeks for most learners. The natural minor scale run in measures 1-2 comes first, the two climbs to A5 share the same shape, and the thumb-under in measure 12 plus the walking bass in measure 13 take the most repetition hands together at 112 BPM.
What level is God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
Level 3 of our Christmas collection. A minor, 4/4 with a quarter-note upbeat, Moderato at 112 BPM. The right hand ranges from G4 to A5 and the left hand from E2 to E3, always one note at a time.
What are the notes for God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen?
After the upbeat A4, the melody runs A4, E5, E5, D5, then C5, B4, A4, G4, then A4, B4, C5, D5 up to a long E5. To save us all goes F5, D5, E5, F5, G5, A5, E5, D5, C5, A4, B4, C5, D5. The refrain is E5, F5, E5, E5, D5, C5, B4, A4. The left hand drones on A2 and E3; see the full table above.