White Christmas

Welcome to our lesson on “White Christmas,” one of the most popular and enduring holiday songs of all time. Written by Irving Berlin and first performed by Bing Crosby in 1942, “White Christmas” has since become a holiday classic, with countless cover versions by artists from a wide range of genres.

In this lesson, we will explore the history of the song, its melodic and harmonic structure, and some of the key musical elements that make it such a timeless holiday favorite. We will also look at the Charlie Parker harmonization and I will give you some exercises to practice bebop vocabulary and scales as well as an etude.

Whether you are a seasoned musician or a beginner, this ‘White Christmas’ lesson will provide you with a deeper understanding of this classic holiday tune and help you appreciate its enduring appeal.

Playlist:

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Lyrics:

I’m dreaming of a white ChristmasJust like the ones I used to knowWhere the tree tops glistenAnd children listenTo hear sleigh bells in the snow, oh, the snow
I said, I’m dreaming of a white ChristmasWith every Christmas card I writeMay your days be merry and brightAnd may all your Christmas’ be white(Let’s go, sticks, let’s go)
I said, I’m dreaming of a white, oh, ChristmasJust like the ones I used to knowWhere the tree tops glistenAnd the children listenTo hear sleigh bells in the snow
I’m dreaming of a white ChristmasWith every Christmas card I writeMay your days, may your days, may your daysBe merry and brightAnd may all your Christmas’ be white(Come on now, woo)(J-man, up, up, up)
I’m dreaming of a white ChristmasWith every Christmas card I writeMay your days be merry and brightAnd may all your Christmas’ be white

The Christmas tunes collection:

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8 comments on “White Christmas”

  4. Ruben Gleyzes
    Ruben Gleyzes says:

    J’ai vraiment adoré la leçon! Merci Alex! ❤
    Juste un commentaire: les partitions de la chanson en Eb et Bb sont les mêmes que celle de C.
    Bonnes fêtes et joyeux Noël!

    • Alex Terrier
      Alex Terrier says:

      Salut Ruben! Merci pour ton message 🙂 Les partitions sont correctes, la première page est en UT, ensuite tout est transposé!

      • Ruben Gleyzes
        Ruben Gleyzes says:

        Ah, je vois: désolé! C’est juste que je m’étais fait à l’idée que les partitions en Eb et Bb seraient dans la même tonalité que la version de The Drifters. Sinon encore une fois: tellement d’idées pour s’inspirer et à travailler… Vraiment excellent! Et ta version est aussi superbe.
        Malheureusement, je n’ai pas eu le temps d’assimiler avec l’instrument tous ces concepts donc j’ai décidé de faire une version plus simple (rien d’époustouflant 😅) en transcrivant la version de The Drifters:
        ✌

  5. Alex Terrier
    Alex Terrier says:

    I played a gig here in Merida where I’m visiting my wife’s family for the holidays so I thought I would play this tune 🙂

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