Introduction

If you’re a beginner piano player looking to learn a classic Christmas song, look no further than “What Child Is This.” This beautiful carol is easy to play and perfect for the holiday season. In this guide, we’ll go over the chords you need to know to play this song on the piano.

Chords

The chords for “What Child Is This” are fairly simple and easy to play. Here are the chords you’ll need:

• Em
• D
• C
• G
• B7

These chords are played in the following order:

1. Em
2. D
3. G
4. C
5. B7
6. Em
7. D
8. G
9. C
10. B7
11. Em
12. D
13. C
14. G
15. B7
16. Em

Practice playing these chords in order until you feel comfortable with the progression.

Playing the Song

Now that you know the chords, it’s time to put them together and play the song. Here are the lyrics with the chords written above:

				
					Em           D
					What Child is this who, laid to rest
					G            C
					On Mary's lap is sleeping?
					B7           Em
					Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
					D            G
					While shepherds watch are keeping?

					Em           D
					This, this is Christ the King,
					G            C
					Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
					B7           Em
					Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
					D            G
					The Babe, the Son of Mary.

					Em           D
					Why lies He in such mean estate,
					G            C
					Where ox and ass are feeding?
					B7           Em
					Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
					D            G
					The silent Word is pleading.

					Em           D
					This, this is Christ the King,
					G            C
					Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
					B7           Em
					Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
					D            G
					The Babe, the Son of Mary.

					Em           D
					So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
					G            C
					Come peasant, king to own Him;
					B7           Em
					The King of kings salvation brings,
					D            G
					Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

					Em           D
					This, this is Christ the King,
					G            C
					Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
					B7           Em
					Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
					D            G
					The Babe, the Son of Mary.
				
			

Practice playing the chords along with the lyrics until you can play the song smoothly.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve learned how to play “What Child Is This” on the piano. Keep practicing and soon you’ll be able to play it flawlessly. Happy holidays!