Oh Christmas Tree is a German carol originally entitled O Tannenbaum. The song was written by Ernst Anschütz and translated by Herman Brueckner. In this lesson, we cover the chords for this song, sheet music for the melody including guitar tabs and also a finger style guitar arrangement.
Grab your guitar and let’s get started!
How to read the guitar chord charts
To clarify how to read the chord charts in the next section, the top horizontal line represents the high E string and the bottom horizontal line represents the low E string. The vertical lines separate each fret. The numbers in the blue dots tell you which fingers to use on the fretting hand.
For example, on the G Major chord, you use the:
- 2nd finger on the 6th string, 3rd fret
- 1st finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret
- 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret
- 4th finger on the 1st string, 3rd fret
- Circles represent open strings
- On some other chords, X means to avoid the string
You can check this link for more on how to read guitar notation symbols.
Chords for O Christmas Tree
The guitar chords we’re using for O Christmas Tree are G Major, A minor 7, B minor 7 b5, E 7 b9, and D 7. You can click on the chords with links to learn different ways of playing that chord.
Try the following chords one at a time until you feel comfortable switching between them. These chords will be written above the melody in the next section.
Here are some other resources on chords:
- What are the first chords you should learn on guitar?
- 6 tips to get better at switching between chords on guitar
- How to play the essential 7th chords on guitar
- How to play minor 7 b5 chords on guitar
O Christmas Tree guitar tabs and chords
For the sheet music below, keep in mind that the chords and melody are meant to be played as separate parts. We’ll look at how to connect these parts later in the arrangement section of this lesson.
You can refer to this simple guide to understanding music symbols if needed.
You can also get the PDFs of this song below.
You can also learn the guitar arrangement of this song after the lyrics below.
O Christmas Tree lyrics
Verse 1:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How green thy branches ever!
Thou still art green when summer wanes
And wintry winds sweep o’er the plains.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How green thy branches ever!
Verse 2:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy verdant branches please me.
The sight of thee at Christmas time
Doth make me sing a joyful rhyme.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy verdant branches please me.
Verse 3:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy dress so green would teach me:
Fair hope, in trouble and distress,
Is felt to be a sweet caress.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Thy dress so green would teach me.
Verse 4:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
What golden lights adorn thee!
Like stars they shine in beauty bright,
To fill each heart with pure delight.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
What golden lights adorn thee!
Verse 5:
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How loving hands have decked thee!
Thus God’s own love will make of me
For Paradise a shining tree.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How loving hands have decked thee!
Reference:
O Christmas Tree. hymnary.org
O Tannenbaum. wikipedia.org
O Christmas Tree fingerstyle arrangement
In this section, we are essentially connecting the melody and chords together using a finger picking method of playing. If needed, check out this lesson to learn how to finger pick on guitar.
The numbers next to some notes on the top staff indicate which fingers to use on the fretting hand.
If you like this style of playing, you can check out this lesson to learn how to connect a melody and chords on guitar.
📘 Get the free guitar practice guide here!
Want to learn more songs? Check out the sheet music with guitar tabs resource on this site.
All the best,
JG Music Lessons
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