Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Bing Crosby - White Christmas - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords A, E7, B7, D, Bm, Bm7, Dm Easy key G (capo 2)
No ratings yet
or your user informations
Make it yours
Text size
Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A Bm E7
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Bm7 B7 E7 A E7 A
Just like the ones I used to know
A
Where the tree tops glisten
D Dm
And children listen
A D B7 E7
To hear the sleigh bells in the snow
A Bm E7
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Bm7 B7 E7 A E7 A
With every Christmas card I write
A D Dm
May your days be merry and bright
A D B7 E7 A
And may all your Christmases be white
A Bm E7
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Bm7 B7 E7 A E7 A
Just like the ones I used to know
A
Where the tree tops glisten
D Dm
And children listen
A D B7 E7
To hear the sleigh bells in the snow
A Bm E7
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas
Bm7 B7 E7 A E7 A
With every Christmas card I write
A D Dm
May your days be merry and bright
A D B7 E7 A
And may all your Christmases be white
End of song Play again?
Bing Crosby - White Christmas Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bing Crosby – White Christmas: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 22 times while F#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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 | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 22× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 4× |
| ii7 | Bm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# · A | 4× |
| V7/V | B7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Esecondary dominant | B · D# · F# · A | 8× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| III | C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 8× |
| iv | Dm | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | D · F · A | 4× |
| V7 | E7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B · D | 16× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | — |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | — |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 22× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 4× |
| iv7 | Bm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# · A | 4× |
| IV7 | B7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | B · D# · F# · A | 8× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 8× |
| vi | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 4× |
| VII7 | E7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B · D | 16× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 7 different chords appear 66 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. B7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Dm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- E7 A AV7 → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII7 → III ×12
- B7 E7 AV7/V → V7secondary resolution F#mIV7 → VII7 ×8
- Dm A Aiv → Iminor plagal F#mvi → III ×4
- Bm E7 Aii → V7ii → V F#miv → VII7 ×4
The move to watch is E7 → A, heard 12 times. From the A side it reads V7 → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the F#m side it is VII7 → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E7, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over B7, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Dm, follow the chord's notes (D · F · A) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is A; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are A, E7, B7, D; read them as I–V7–V7/V–IV in A or III–VII7–IV7–VI in F#m. B7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to E. Keep an ear on E7 → A (V7 → I in A, VII7 → III in F#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on A, letting the A 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.
Bing Crosby - White 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.
Find something to play next
Ready-made lists by difficulty and mood.
Report error for this content report.
All copyrights belong to their respective owners. If you think this content contains copyright infringement, please contact us.