I was asked for this song by two sisters; one a piano student and one on the ukulele. They are big fans of Swiss Family Robinson.

‘Oh Christmas Tree’ turned out to be such a good one for beginners, as it consists of four lines; the first two being identical and extremely simple, the third line creating a bit of interest with a little more movement in the melody and chords, followed by another line identical to the first two. It is a little nutshell example of how most music works: a tune, that tune repeated, a little wandering into new territory, then back home to the familiar.

Here it is, with tune line and chords-

Oh Christmas Tree

For the ukulele student who is only six, I am using simplified chords and it is working a treat. She is playing and singing it with ease and it sounds lovely.

Here’s what I do.
Take one finger off G7, so becomes .
Do the same for F, so becomes .

When playing in C, this creates a really nice effect with the low note C becoming a drone throughout the three chords.

I would substitute D minor for F, so the third line would go like this-

C                                     F                                  G7                    C
Not only green when summer’s here, but also when ’tis cold and drear.

The sweetness of these simplified chords plus the singing voice of a six year old is enough to melt anyone’s heart!