Silent Night (Stille Nacht)
Franz Xaver Gruber · Austrian, 1818 · solo guitar
PLAY-ALONG VIDEO · YOUTUBE ↗
Watch this tab played from start to end
The tab scrolls under a fixed playhead and a fretboard shows each chord shape. Play along with the video, or open the player to slow it down.
Techniques
Melody over Gruber's bass
bars 1–11 →The tune lies in the first position, and the bass notes come from Gruber's original guitar part. Count the 6/8 in two big beats, each split into three.
D/F♯ with the thumb on the bass
bar 10 →Bar 10 puts F♯ in the bass on the sixth string. Use the D shape and move the index finger down to the low F♯ instead of barring all six strings.
The A7 interlude
bar 12 →Between the verses comes a short A7 figure from Gruber's postlude, in even eighths: the melody's last note on the open D, then two dyads, and the same again over the open A bass. Keep the index on C♯ (second string, fret 2) while the top note moves from the open E to G at fret 3. Play it a little softer, then start the second verse.
Key and harmony
D major with three chords: D, G and A7, as in Gruber's own guitar part. The shading on the circle of fifths shows how many of the 25 bars use each chord.
Chords and positions
Practice plan
Four steps, about a week each at 15 minutes a day. Each link opens the player at that bar and tempo.
-
STEP 160 BPM
The first half of the verse
Play the melody alone, then add the bass on each first beat.
Open bars 1–8 at 60 BPM → -
STEP 266 BPM
The end of the verse
Learn bars 9 to 12 with the D/F♯ and the A7 interlude.
Open bars 9–12 at 66 BPM → -
STEP 380 BPM
The second verse
The second verse repeats the first and ends with the full postlude.
Open bars 13–25 at 80 BPM → -
STEP 490 BPM
The whole song
Play both verses through without stopping.
Open bars 1–25 at 90 BPM →
Related pieces
Guitar version by easytabs.studio from Gruber's original setting for two voices and guitar, typeset by Peter Chubb (Mutopia Project #81, public domain).