O Little Town of Bethlehem
4/4, four beats a bar · 16 bars
O Little Town of Bethlehem, 16 bars. Press a chord to hear it; Play goes through the whole carol.
Christmas songs
O Little Town of Bethlehem chords for ukulele
O Little Town of Bethlehem needs 6 chords in C: C, Dm, G7, A7, E7 and Am. Here it is bar by bar: press any chord to hear it, Play to go through the whole carol, and the Key menu to move it to suit your voice.
Tempo90
↓ · ↓ ↑ · ↑ ↓ ↑ · Down, down-up, up-down-up: the campfire strum, also called the calypso strum.
Colours
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What each chord does in its key. Press a chord to hear it and read more.The chords
Press a chord to hear it, or its name for every way to play it.
C
Ukulele · StandardI
Dm
Ukulele · Standardii
G7
Ukulele · StandardV7
A7
Ukulele · StandardVI7
E7
Ukulele · StandardIII7
Am
Ukulele · Standardvi
How to play it
- The strum. Four beats to the bar: four down strums is enough to start; then the folk strum (down, down-up, up-down-up). On ukulele the island strum sounds fuller. Start slow, around 68 beats a minute, and change chord on the first beat of the bar.
- The first note. The tune starts just before the first bar, on a pickup: count in and come in with the first chord on beat 1.
- Too low or too high to sing? Change the key above. Or keep these shapes and put a capo on: two frets up raises the song a whole step (the capo chart works it out).
- A new chord? Press its card for every way to play it, or start from the beginner chords.
About the carol
Words by Phillips Brooks, rector of Holy Trinity Church, Philadelphia, USA, written in 1868 after a visit to Bethlehem; the tune St. Louis was written the same year by his church organist Lewis H. Redner. (In Britain the words are usually sung to Forest Green, a different tune.) (source)
Questions
What chords are in O Little Town of Bethlehem?
In C: C, Dm, G7, A7, E7 and Am.
What key is O Little Town of Bethlehem in?
It is sung in many keys. On ukulele C is the easiest, with open chords; use the Key menu for any other.
What strumming pattern does O Little Town of Bethlehem use?
Four beats to the bar: four down strums is enough to start; then the folk strum (down, down-up, up-down-up). On ukulele the island strum sounds fuller.
Sources
The chords were checked against these, bar by bar; where they differ, this page gives the version most beginner sheets agree on.
- RiffSpot (credits Lewis Redner, key G)
- GuitarTabsExplorer: Brooks and Redner (key D)
- Stephen Merrony ABC, four-part hymn setting of St. Louis (key Bb)
More Christmas songs
Silent NightJingle BellsWe Wish You a Merry ChristmasDeck the HallsO Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)Away in a MangerJoy to the WorldHark! The Herald Angels SingO Come, All Ye FaithfulThe First NoelGod Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGood King WenceslasWe Three KingsJolly Old Saint NicholasUp on the HousetopAngels We Have Heard on HighAuld Lang SyneAll Christmas songs