Twelve Days of Christmas chords
... and a partridge in a pear tree- Words & Music: Traditional
- Additions: Frederic Austin
- Music: Key of D Major in 4/4 time at 110 bpm (♩)
- Chords: D, Dsus4, A, A7, G, E7
- Capo on 3 if playing with the video (F Major)
- Beginners: This is very easy to play once you get used to the chord changes. Start slowly until it feels comfortable... and then you'll be playing like Speedie!
Chart Legend
Numbered Circles: Fingers used to play chords O: Optional Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note
The Twelve Days of Christmas Chords
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
D G D A7 D Dsus4 D
Intro: 4/4 || ♪♪| | / ||
(3 beat rest)
D A D
1. On the first day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
D G D A7 D Dsus4 D
A par-tridge in a pear | tree / |
D A D
2. On the se-cond day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7 D G D A D Dsus4 D
Two tur-tle doves And a par-tridge in a pear | tree / |
D A D
3. On the third day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Three French hens Two tur-tle doves
D G D A7 D Dsus4 D
And a par-tridge in a pear | tree / |
D A D
4. On the fourth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Four cal-ling birds Three French hens
A7 D G D A7 D Dsus4 D
Two tur-tle doves And a par-tridge in a pear | tree / |
D A D
5. On the fifth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
D E7 A D
Refrain: Five gold-en rings Four calling birds
G A7
Three French hens Two tur-tle doves
D G D A7 D Dsus4 D
And a par-tridge in a pear | tree / |
D A D
6. On the sixth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A
Refrain: Five gold-en rings...
D A
7. On the sev-enth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Se-ven swans a-swim-ming Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A
Refrain: Five gold-en rings...
D A D
8. On the eighth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Eight maids a-milk-ing Seven swans a-swim-ming Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A D
Refrain: Five gold-en rings Four calling birds
G A7
Three French hens Two tur-tle doves
D G D A7 D Dsus4 D
And a par-tridge in a pear | tree / |
D A D
9. On the ninth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Nine la-dies dan-cing Eight maids a-milk-ing
A7
Se-ven swans a-swim-ming Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A
Refrain: Five gold-en rings...
D A D
10. On the tenth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Ten lords a-leap-ing Nine la-dies dan-cing Eight maids a-milking
A7
Se-ven swans a-swim-ming Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A
Refrain: Five gold-en rings...
D A D
11. On the e-le-venth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
E-le-ven pip-ers pip-ing Ten lords a-leap-ing Nine la-dies dan-cing
A7
Eight maids a-milking Se-ven swans a-swim-ming Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A
Refrain: Five gold-en rings...
D A D
12. On the twelfth day of Christ-mas My true love gave to me
A7
Twelve drum-mers drum-ming E-le-ven pip-ers pip-ing Ten lords a-leap-ing
A7
Nine la-dies dan-cing Eight maids a-milking
A7
Se-ven swans a-swim-ming Six geese a-lay-ing
D E7 A D
Refrain: Five gold-en rings Four calling birds
G A7
Three French hens Two tur-tle doves
D G D A7 D
And a par-tridge in a pear tree...- Reading the Song Charts - a closer look at reading the song charts on this site
- Chord Transposer - a better understanding of how it works
- Free Sheet Music in F Major - Piano/Vocal/Chords
- Christmas Songs - Easy Chords - Another version in D Major - uses a slightly different chord arrangement with the inclusion of a few minor chords some slight changes in the lyrics.
Notes:
- The song is in the key of F major which makes it a little hard for beginners to play along with, so we place a capo on the 3rd fret and play in the key of D Major... a much easier key. Remember, this only applies if you are playing along with the video, otherwise you don't have to use a capo.
- An easy way to play Dsus4 is to play a D chord and put your pinkie on the first string - 3rd fret... see charts.
- Remember you are in 4/4 time which means 4 quarter-note beats per bar. There are timing changes throughout the song with changes to 3/4 time and back to 4/4 time. I haven't included them all, as it can become quite confusing. The chords are in sync with the lyrics, so make sure you follow them carefully. Also, if you are unsure of the song, just listen to the video a few times. Once you become familiar with the tune, you will notice where the timing changes occur.
- The tempo is set at 110 bpm, so if you are using a metronome or click-track, the beat occurs on every quarter-note.
