In today’s lesson I’m excited to teach you to play The Christmas Song, which you may know as “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…“. Originally recorded in 1946 by Nat King Cole, there are countless covers (and guitar lessons) tackling this classic tune. Each version tends to have its own identity & character, due to the complex richness of the chords & progression.
My lesson aims to simplify what Nat King Cole’s backing orchestra is playing, while still capturing the recognizable essence of this song. I’ll teach you two ways to play it: a “full” version and a simplified version. My hope is this will let you play & sing this song, no matter your skill level. My lesson is in the Key of C — which is a half-step down in pitch from Nat King Cole’s recording — but allows for more conventional chords.
Here’s a few extra videos, made in thanks to those supporting me with Premium membership here on my Song Notes website. To those showing your support, you have my true thanks and appreciation — and I hope you find these additional videos helpful!
Whether you’re learning the full or simple arrangement, you’ll be using the exact same melody notes. This video walks you through all of them, in the Key of C. I found these invaluable as I learned to sing the song, as these notes allowed me to have an audible reference to help train my vocal pitch.
Here’s me playing through the full arrangement, without singing. I count in for two full measures before beginning the first measure. At the end of this video I give a few rhythm tips to help you with counting.
Here’s me playing through the full arrangement, without singing. Just like the video immediately above, I count in for two full measures before beginning the first measure. Similarly, I include a few rhythm tips at the end.
Here’s the Sanford and Son scene that inspired this lesson. Thanks to Chuck for sending this in! While my arrangements don’t match the incredibly guitar version heard here, I hope it gets you close enough to enjoy singing & playing this magical song.
If you’re curious how other teachers tackle this song, here’s a few of the examples that helped me. None of these take the same approach! I found it quite fascinating to watch each of these, comparing how similar — or drastically different — each arrangement is.
Frank Vignola:
Rob Swift:
Sean Daniels:
Guitar Legend:
Sandra Sherman:
Eric Blackmon:
Lastly, here’s a few other technique lessons I’ve made that pertain to what I teach in this song:
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