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Deck the Halls: guitar chords and tab for beginners

Wales, 16th century

Deck the Halls

by Traditional (Nos Galan)

Tempo
112beats per minute
Count
4beats in each bar
Key
D majorthe home note
Level
1 of 3easiest
Bar 1:1 of 16Tap play to turn sound on
Key D major
0
Higher or lower, to match a voice.
Tempo112beats per minute right now

Level 1. Strum one chord per beat. Start here.

Chord names above, strum arrows below. Down arrow = strum down toward the floor, up arrow = back up.

01020304050607080910111213141516DDA7DA7DDDA7DA7DEmA7DA7DA7DDGA7A7D↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑
Where your fingers go● press here · ○ open · × skip · the number is which finger · next
EADGBeopen123456789101112132××

Hold this chord

D××132EADGBe

How to read it

  • Red cross: don’t play that string. Skip it when you strum.
  • Green circle: play that string open, with no finger on it.
  • Number: press there with that finger. 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.
  • Letters: the strings, thickest (low E) on the left to thinnest (high e) on the right.

Space bar plays and pauses. Left and right arrows jump a bar.

The chords

The chords in Deck the Halls

4 chords, all open shapes: D, A7, Em, G. 4 beats in each bar, 112 beats per minute, in D major.

In words: D major is x x 0 2 3 2. A seven is x 0 2 0 2 0. E minor is 0 2 2 0 0 0. G major is 3 2 0 0 0 3. Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.

About the song

The tune is a Welsh New Year carol, Nos Galan, at least four hundred years old. Thomas Oliphant wrote the English words in 1862. Every line ends with the same fa-la-la run down to D, so once you know one line you know most of the song.

Questions people ask

What chords are in Deck the Halls?
Four chords: D, A7, Em and G. All of them are open shapes, so some strings ring without a finger on them.
What key is Deck the Halls in?
D major. The key control on this page moves it up or down, and tells you where to put a capo so you can keep the same easy shapes.
Is Deck the Halls easy to play on guitar?
It is a step up from the first songs here: four chords at 112 beats per minute. Slow it to 50 percent, and try Ode to Joy and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star first if it fights back.
What is the strumming pattern for Deck the Halls?
Six strums in each bar: down, down, up, up, down, up. There are 4 beats in every bar. The arrows above the chord boxes move with the sound, so you can see the pattern as you hear it.
How do I play Deck the Halls on guitar?
Three ways on this page, all from the same arrangement. Chords mode strums one chord at a time, Melody mode picks the tune from the tab, and Fingerstyle mode plays the bass with your thumb under the tune. Start in Chords mode at 60 percent speed.
Who wrote Deck the Halls?
Traditional (Nos Galan). Wales, 16th century. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.

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