Up on the Housetop is the bounciest tune in our Christmas collection, and the interactive player below is the fastest way to learn it: hear it at half speed, watch the notes and keys light up, and drag the score to loop 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: G4-G4-A4-G4 with fingers 4-4-5-4 tumbling down E4-D4 to middle C for reindeer, pause ringing on G4, then A4-A4-G4-E4 and D4-G4-G4 from the top. The same bar returns four times, so loop measure 1 at x0.5 until it is automatic.
Section B is the chorus: ho ho ho on F4-F4-A4 with 3-3-5 answered by G4-G4-G4-E4, then a lower laugh D4-F4-F4 with 2-4-4 and E4-G4-G4-C4 landing the thumb on middle C. Click click click on F4-G4-A4 is followed by a quarter rest, so count the silence at x0.75.
The full score
Hands together, the left hand only ever chooses between C3, F3 and G3, so say the next bass note a bar ahead. Verse mf, chorus f, and push toward the 120 BPM Allegro only when the eighth notes stay even.
Note by note: keys and fingering
- Right hand: Two neighboring positions: the rooftop phrases sit with the ring finger (4) on G4 and pinky (5) on A4, tumbling through E4 (3) and D4 (2) to the thumb (1) on middle C, while the second laugh uses plain C position with the thumb on C4. At each cadence the thumb hops from D4 down to middle C.
- Left hand: Pinky (5) on C3, index (2) on F3, thumb (1) on G3: three bass notes cover the whole song, whole notes in the verse and half-note pairs at the cadences.
| Note | On the Staff | On the Keyboard | Finger |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | Ledger line below the treble staff (middle C) | Middle C | RH Thumb (1) |
| D4 | Just below the bottom line of the treble staff | White key between the two black keys right of middle C | RH Index (2) |
| E4 | Bottom line of treble staff | White key right of the two black keys above middle C | RH Middle (3) |
| F4 | First space of treble staff | White key left of the three black keys above middle C | RH Middle (3) |
| G4 | Second line of treble staff | White key between the first two of three black keys above middle C | RH Ring (4) |
| A4 | Second space of treble staff | White key between the last two of three black keys above middle C | RH Pinky (5) |
| C3 | Second space of bass staff | One octave below middle C | LH Pinky (5) |
| F3 | Fourth line of bass staff | White key left of the three black keys below middle C | LH Index (2) |
| G3 | Fourth space of bass staff | White key between the first two of three 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 Up on the Housetop
Benjamin Hanby, the son of an Ohio preacher, wrote Up on the Housetop in 1864, and it is usually counted as the first song written about Santa Claus himself, reindeer pausing on the roof and a sack full of toys included. Among America's secular Christmas songs only Jingle Bells is older, and Hanby's chorus of Ho ho ho, who wouldn't go has been shouted by children ever since. Gene Autry's 1953 recording confirmed it as a holiday standard. The whole tune fits inside six white keys around middle C, which makes it a joyful romp for a small hand and a natural early piece in our Christmas collection.
Get the printable PDF
The printable PDF of Up on the Housetop - full score, hand positions, and a step-by-step practice guide - ships inside our free Christmas pack together with fourteen other carols.
Bouncy Allegro playing is easier when a child sits at the right height, and an Adjustable Piano Bench with Back Support grows with them from one Christmas to the next.
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FAQ
How hard is Up on the Housetop on piano?
It is a lively Level 1 piece in our Christmas collection. Six white keys from middle C to A4 cover the whole melody, the left hand plays only C3, F3 and G3, and the main challenge is keeping the G-G-A-G eighth-note figure light and even at 120 BPM.
How long does it take to learn Up on the Housetop?
One to two weeks for most beginners. The signature bar appears four times with tiny ending changes, so once it is learned half the piece is done; the two laughs in the chorus and the quarter rest after the clicks take a few extra days hands together.
What level is Up on the Housetop?
Level 1 of our Christmas collection. C major, 4/4, Allegro at 120 BPM, 16 measures. The right hand stays between middle C and A4 in two neighboring positions and the left hand uses single whole and half notes on C3, F3 and G3.
What are the notes for Up on the Housetop?
The verse starts G4, G4, A4, G4, E4, D4, then C4, E4 and a long G4, followed by A4, A4, G4, E4, D4, G4, G4. The chorus laughs on F4, F4, A4 then G4, G4, G4, E4, and again D4, F4, F4 then E4, G4, G4, C4. The left hand alternates C3, F3 and G3; the full table with fingerings is above.