Major view
G major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Judy Garland - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Chord
Key G major – E minor Chords D7, G, Am7, Em7, B7, Em, E7, A7 … Easy key C (capo 7)
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Key: G | Em
Capo: 0
G Em7 Am7 D7
G Em7 Am7 D7
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
G Em7 Am7 D7
Let your heart be light
G Em7 Am7 D7 B7 E7 A7 D7
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight
G Em7 Am7 D7
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
G Em7 Am7 D7
Make the Yuletide gay
G Em7 Am7 B7 Em G7
Next year all our troubles will be miles away
Cmaj7 Bm Bbdim
Once again as in olden days
Am D7 Gmaj7
Happy golden days of yore
Em F#7 Bm E7
Faithful friends who are dear to us
D7 A7 Am7 D7
Will be near to us once more
G Em7 Am7 D7
Someday soon we all will be together
G Em7 Am7 D7
If the Fates allow
G Em7 Am7 B7 Em G G7
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
Cmaj7 Am7 D7 G
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now
G Em7 Am7 D7
End of song Play again?
Judy Garland - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Judy Garland – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas: key and chord analysis
The song opens on G and ends on D7. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
E minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = D# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it opens on G, G is heard 16 times against 14 for Em and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | G | Tonic — home | G · B · D | 13× |
| Imaj7 | Gmaj7 | Tonic — home | G · B · D · F# | 1× |
| V7/IV | G7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D · F | 2× |
| ii7 | Am7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E · G | 13× |
| ii | Am | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E | 1× |
| V7/V | A7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 2× |
| vii°/iii | Bbdim | Secondary leading-tone chord vii°/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Bb · Db · Fb | 1× |
| iii | Bm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | B · D · F# | 2× |
| V7/vi | B7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# · A | 3× |
| IVmaj7 | Cmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · E · G · B | 2× |
| V7 | D7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A · C | 14× |
| vi7 | Em7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B · D | 11× |
| vi | Em | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 3× |
| V7/ii | E7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 2× |
| vii° | F#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F# · A · C | — |
| V7/iii | F#7 | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# · E | 1× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Em7 | Tonic — home | E · G · B · D | 11× |
| i | Em | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 3× |
| V7/iv | E7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B · D | 2× |
| ii° | F#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C | — |
| V7/v | F#7 | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# · E | 1× |
| III | G | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 13× |
| IIImaj7 | Gmaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D · F# | 1× |
| V7/VI | G7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D · F | 2× |
| iv7 | Am7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E · G | 13× |
| iv | Am | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E | 1× |
| IV7 | A7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | A · C# · E · G | 2× |
| vii°/v | Bbdim | Secondary leading-tone chord vii°/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Bb · Db · Fb | 1× |
| v | Bm | Minor dominant — soft pull | B · D · F# | 2× |
| V7 | B7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | B · D# · F# · A | 3× |
| VImaj7 | Cmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | C · E · G · B | 2× |
| VII7 | D7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A · C | 14× |
Analysis
The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 15 different chords appear 71 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. E7, A7, G7, Bbdim, F#7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- Am7 D7 Gii7 → V7ii → V Emiv7 → VII7 ×11
- D7 G GV7 → Iauthentic cadence EmVII7 → III ×10
- B7 Em GV7/vi → visecondary resolution EmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
- Am7 B7 Gii7 → V7/vi Emiv7 → V7iv → V ×2
- G7 Cmaj7 GV7/IV → IVmaj7secondary resolution EmV7/VI → VImaj7 ×2
- D7 Gmaj7 GV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence EmVII7 → IIImaj7 ×1
The move to watch is Am7 → D7, heard 11 times. From the G side it reads ii7 → V7 (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant); from the Em side it is iv7 → VII7. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
- Over D7, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Am7, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When B7 comes, swap the scale's D for D#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With G major shapes
- No capo — open G shapes
- Capo 3 + E shapes
- Capo 5 + D shapes
With E minor shapes
- No capo — open Em shapes
- Capo 2 + Dm shapes
- Capo 7 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on G, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is D7, G, Am7, Em7 — V7–I–ii7–vi7 from the G side, VII7–III–iv7–i7 from the Em side. B7 is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Am7 → D7 (ii7 → V7 in G, iv7 → VII7 in Em): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. It closes on D7, letting the G side have the last word.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Judy Garland - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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