How to Play The First Noel Chord Guitar
The First Noel is a traditional English Christmas carol that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The song tells the story of the shepherds who were visited by angels and the wise men who followed the star to Bethlehem. The song has been recorded by many artists, such as Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Josh Groban and Pentatonix.
If you want to learn how to play The First Noel on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords and strumming patterns. In this article, we will show you how to play The First Noel in the key of G, which is one of the most common keys for this song. We will also provide you with some tips and tricks to make your playing sound more professional and festive.
The Chords
The chords you will need to play The First Noel in the key of G are:
G D The first Noel C G the angels did say C Was to certain poor Bm C D G Shepherds in fields as they lay: G D In fields where they C G Lay keeping their sheep C Bm C D G On a cold winter's night that was so deep. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel. G D They looked up C G and saw a star C Bm C D G Shining in the east beyond them far: G D And to the earth C G it gave great light C Bm C D G And so it continued both day and night. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel. G D And by the light C G of that same star C Bm C D G Three wise men came from the country far; G D To seek for a King C G was their intent, C Bm C D G And to follow the star wherever it went. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel. G D This star drew nigh C G to the north-west; C Bm C D G O'er Bethlehem it took it's rest, G D And there it did C G both stop and stay, C Bm C D G Right over the place where Jesus lay. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel. G D Then entered in C G those wise men three, C Bm C D G Fell reverently upon their knee, G D And offered there C G in his presence C Bm C D G Their gold and myrrh and frankincense. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel. G D Then let us all C G with one accord C Bm C D G Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, G D That hath made heav'n C G and earth of nought, C Bm C D G And with his blood mankind has bought. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel. G D C G Noel Noel, Noel Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
You can use a capo to change the key of the song if you want to match your vocal range or the original recording. For example, if you put a capo on the second fret, you will be playing in the key of A.
To play these chords, you will need to press down the strings with your left hand fingers and strum them with your right hand. Make sure that you only strum the strings that are part of the chord and mute the rest with your left hand. You can also use your thumb to mute the low E string when playing D, C and Bm chords.
The Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for The First Noel is:
- Down Down Up Down Up
You can use this pattern for each chord or change it up depending on how you want to express the song. You can also add some accents or dynamics to make your strumming more interesting and musical. For example, you can strum louder on the first downstroke of each chord or softer on the upstrokes.
To practice the strumming pattern, you can start by playing it slowly and evenly with a metronome or a drum track. Then, you can gradually increase the speed and add some variations as you feel comfortable.
The Chord Progression
The chord progression for The First Noel is:
- Verse: G D C G / C Bm C D G
- Chorus: G Bm C G D / C Bm C D G
The verse and chorus are repeated four times each, with some slight changes in the lyrics. You can follow along with the lyrics and chords below:
G D C G The first Noel, the angel did say C Bm C D G Was to certain poor shepherds, in fields as they lay: G D C G In fields where they lay, a keeping their sheep C Bm C D G On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
G Bm C G D Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
G D C G They looked up and saw a star C Bm C D G Shining in the east beyond them far: G D C G And to the earth it gave great light C Bm C D G And so it continued both day and night.
G Bm C G D Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
G D C G And by the light of that same star C Bm C D G Three wise men came from the country far; G D C G To seek for a King was their intent, C Bm C D G And to follow the star wherever it went.
G Bm C G D Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
G D C G This star drew nigh to the north-west; C Bm C D G O’er Bethlehem it took it’s rest, G D C G And there it did both stop and stay, C Bm C D G Right over the place where Jesus lay.
G Bm C G D Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
G D C G Then entered in those wise men three, C Bm C D G Fell reverently upon their knee, G D C G And offered there in his presence C Bm C D G Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
G Bm C G D Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
G D C G Then let us all with one accord C Bm C D G Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, G D C G That hath made heaven and earth of nought, C Bm C D G And with his blood mankind has bought.
G Bm C G D Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel C Bm C D G Born is the King of Israel.
The Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to make your playing of The First Noel more professional and festive:
- You can use a pick or your fingers to strum the chords. A pick will give you a brighter and louder sound, while your fingers will give you a softer and warmer sound. You can also alternate between the two for different effects.
- You can add some embellishments to the chords by adding or removing some notes. For example, you can play a Gsus4 chord by adding your pinky finger on the third fret of the high E string, or a Dsus2 chord by removing your middle finger from the second fret of the high E string. You can also play a Cadd9 chord by keeping your ring finger on the third fret of the B string when switching from G to C. These embellishments will add some color and movement to your chords.
- You can use some fingerpicking patterns to play the melody of the song along with the chords. For example, you can use your thumb to play the bass notes of the chords and your index, middle and ring fingers to play the melody notes on the higher strings. You can also use a hybrid picking technique, where you use a pick for the bass notes and your fingers for the melody notes. You can find some examples of fingerpicking patterns for The First Noel online or create your own.
- You can add some harmonies to the melody by singing or playing along with another instrument. For example, you can sing or play a third or a fifth above or below the main melody. You can also use a capo to play in different keys and create different harmonies. You can find some examples of harmonies for The First Noel online or create your own.
Conclusion
The First Noel is a beautiful and classic Christmas carol that you can learn to play on guitar with some basic chords and strumming patterns. You can also spice up your playing with some tips and tricks, such as embellishments, fingerpicking, harmonies and capo. We hope that this article has helped you learn how to play The First Noel on guitar and that you enjoy playing it during this festive season. Merry Christmas!
