Feliz Navidad

A Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano.

Published: 01 Oct 2011 Updated: 29 Aug 2023Visits: 12Code: UL509

Category: HolidayInstrument: Ukulele Subjects: Repertoire • Arrangement • Latin • Holiday

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Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus (the traditional Christmas/New Year greeting, "Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad" meaning "Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness") and equally simple English verse "I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart", it has become a classic Christmas pop song in the United States, throughout the Spanish-speaking world and internationally.

A young really young José Feliciano

Feliciano's version of Feliz Navidad (in which he plays both an acoustic guitar and a Puerto Rican Cuatro) is one of the most downloaded and aired Christmas songs in the United States and Canada. The album drummer was Paulinho Magalhaes. The addition of the horns as a final touch was the idea of producer Rick Jarrard. It was also recognized by ASCAP as one of the top 25 most played and recorded Christmas songs around the world.

Feliz Navidad…

Ukulele Chords for Feliz Navidad

The following voicings can be used for playing a background accompaniment to the songs will someone if either singing or playing the melody.

Here are some chords for Feliz Navidad to get you started and links to lessons for those chords.

This example of Feliz Navidad is in the key is D Major . And, pretty much all the chords come right out of the key of D.

Em/Em7

Em/Em7 is the II chord in the D Major and the first chord in the song. As Feliz Navidad uses a richer 4-part harmony. The Em7 is the original chord used by José Feliciano. José Feliciano is quite the accomplished guitarist and used these more contemporary 4-part chords.

A7

A7 is the V , the dominant chord in the D Major . As Feliz Navidad uses a richer 4-part harmony so Em7 is the original chord used by José Feliciano. José Feliciano is quite the accomplished guitarist and used these more contemporary chords.

  • A7 was featured a couple of times . Once as the Chord a Day, January 14th - A7 and the Chord a Day, March 7th - A7 . In Feliz Navidad I use three different voicings of A7 in the melody and chord arrangement.
  • A7 is a 4-part chords and a 7th chord is one of the core chords from the The Big Six Core Chords - Level One . In fact the 7th chord, the F7 is the foundation for building all the core 4-part chords. If all else fails and you can't remember a chord you can always go back to F7 create the chord and transpose it to the correct key.

Dmaj7

Dmaj7 is the I , the tonic chord in the D Major . As Feliz Navidad uses a richer 4-part harmony so Em7 is the original chord used by José Feliciano. José Feliciano is quite the accomplished guitarist and used these more contemporary chords.

  • Dmaj7 is a 4-part chord, a maj7 chord and one of the core chords from the The Big Six Core Chords - Level One . In fact the 7th chord, the F7 is the foundation for building all the core 4-part chords on Ukulele. If all else fails and you can't remember a chord you can always go back to F7 to create the chord you need and transpose it to the correct key.

There are a few other chords that are used in this song and going through the lessons in the Related Series and Lessons below for the above chords will help in figuring out what chords and voicings are used in the arrangement.

Feliz Navidad is in the The Daily Ukulele 365 Songs for Better Living book.

Strum a different song every day with easy arrangements of 365 of your favorite songs in one big songbook! The Daily Ukulele features ukulele arrangements with melody, lyrics and uke chord grids and are in ukulele-friendly keys that are particularly suited for groups of one to one hundred to play and sing.

Video Performance

Feliz Navidad is one of my favorite songs to play and perform. I can't wait until the Christmas season starts, just to play this song. I start playing it earlier and earlier every year and finally have it memorized from year to year. — Curt

Feliz Navidad Lesson Video

Video recorded around 2013, and I tweak and play it different every ear. Some of what I change I get back into the PDF file. With every one of my arrangements, I say, use it as a starting point and make it your own.

Performance Notes

Feliz Navidad is pretty much a full diatonic song with the chords coming right out of the major scale of the song. The first three chords are a II, V, I in D major.

This is one of the songs I like playing the most. Too bad it's a Christmas song and I can only play it a few months at the end of the year - and I stretch it out a few weeks on either side.

Introduction

For the introduction in the video I simple took the ending and used it as an intro. Totally forgot I did that until I viewed the video again. Checkout the series on Create Introductions and Endings .

I play the second ending several different ways depending on where my ear is taking me at the time. Here are the various ways I do it.

Triads

Triads

Octaves

Octaves

Don't think of my arrangement as set in stone. I take rhythmic and melodic liberties as well while staying close to the original melody. Make it your own.

Additional Resources

Checkout the Downloads and Assets section of the this page for additional and resources for this song. I love working on and playing this song end of every year.

Main Song Download(s)

The main downloads for this Song.

UL509-MC-D

Feliz Navidad, Solo Ukulele Arrangement - Key of D

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Solo ukulele arrangement of this holiday classic in the key of D.

Videos

Related Videos for Feliz Navidad.

Feliz Navidad

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

Feliz Navidad is a Christmas song written in 1970 by the Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. With its simple Spanish chorus (the traditional Christmas/New Year greeting, "Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad" or "Merry Christmas, prosperous year and happiness") and equally simple English verse ("I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart"), it has become a classic Christmas pop song in the United States, Canada and throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Related Lessons

Related Lessons for Feliz Navidad.

UL42-7

Core Chords - The Big Six - Building a Solid Chord Foundation

Updated: 07 Sep 2021

The Big Six Core Chords is a series of lessons for building your core, essential 4-part chords. These chords commonly called jazz chords, are really just 4-part chords used in a wide range of musical styles. These chords include: Seventh , Major Seventh, Minor Seventh, Half Diminished Seventh or Minor Seven Flat Five, Diminished Seventh, and Augmented Seventh. These six chords form a core set of chords.

UL42-7alt

Altered Seventh Chords on `Ukulele

Updated: 04 Apr 2014

Beyond basic open position chords, basic movable form chords, and a core set of 4-part chords. There are just too many chords shapes too memorize. Learning the principles of how chords are constructed and the ukulele fingerboard are the way to go. You can then create more advanced chords like 9#11, 7#5-9, 13b5, 7+9 on the fly as needed from your core set of chords.

ULHA-YB-300

Feliz Navidad

Updated: 15 Sep 2023

Harmonic Analysis (RMA) Worksheet for the song: "Feliz Navidad".

Related Lesson Series

Related Lessons Series for Feliz Navidad.

Solo Ukulele - Creating Melody and Chord Arrangements

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

In this series the focus is on creating solos melody and chord arrangements of songs from the standard and contemporary repertoire.

Creating Introductions and Turnarounds for Ukulele

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

Introductions serve as crafted or improvised musical sections that set the stage for a song or composition. This series centers around the art of crafting introductions and turnarounds specifically designed for songs.

Related Songs

Related Songs for Feliz Navidad.

UL1100

Mele Kalikimaka

Updated: 03 Jan 2023

Mele Kalikimaka (pronounced [ˈmɛlɛ kəˌlikiˈmɐkə]) is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song written in 1949 by Robert Alex Anderson. A chord chart with lyrics in the format typically used for ukulele beginner groups. A classis you can start playing around end of Novemeber into January. The season of holiday songs.

UL589

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Updated: 08 Dec 2020

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958 on Decca. Despite her mature-sounding voice, Lee recorded this song when she was only thirteen years old. The song's declaration of a rock and roll sound notwithstanding, its instrumentation also fits the country music genre, which Brenda Lee more fully embraced as her career evolved. The recording features Grady Martin's ringing guitar and Boots Randolph's swinging solo sax break. The song is written in the key of A-flat major.

Related Books & Charts

Related Books for Feliz Navidad.

AGCUKE1

A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I

Updated: 13 Feb 2020

Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords, most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called "jazz" chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music. A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele - presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer.

BC1UKE-C

Ukulele Chords - C Tuning

Updated: 12 Feb 2024

This chord book is a great addition to you music book library. Ukulele Chords covers basic open position and basic movable form chords.

HL00240356

The Daily Ukulele

Updated: 16 Feb 2024

Strum a different song every day with easy arrangements of 365 of your favorite songs in one big songbook! The Daily Ukulele features ukulele arrangements with melody, lyrics and uke chord grids and are in ukulele-friendly keys that are particularly suited for groups of one to one hundred to play and sing.

A Selection of Books & Reference Charts that are recommended for creating a solid foundation with your chosen instrument and music in general.

Books

Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard – C Tuning

Finally, learn the names of the notes of the fingerboard.

Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering

Learn the six fingering principles to navigating the ukulele fingerboard. Fingering is one of the most universal topics.

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition.

Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer

Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position is a lot easier than you might think.

Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele

An organized collection of daily practice and reference material for the contemporary ukulele player for developing the vocabulary and knowledge necessary for single note playing.

Checkout the Books for ALL available books.

Reference Charts

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G - G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Key Signatures — Circle of Fourths and Fifths – ANSI A & A4 sizes

A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A) , A4

Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

Related Song Files, Resources and Assets

Related Assets for Feliz Navidad.

UL509-CHR-D

Feliz Navidad - Chord Lead Sheet

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Chord lead sheet using basic chords. Suitable for any instrument. My favorite to play and perform over the holidays. I start playing it earlier and earlier every year.

UL509-MC-D

Feliz Navidad, Solo Ukulele Arrangement - Key of D

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Solo ukulele arrangement of this holiday classic in the key of D.

UL509-D-CHR-LYRICS

Feliz Navidad - D, Lead Sheet

Updated: 08 Dec 2017

Lead Sheet created for the Philadelphia Mainline Ukulele Group. A slightly challenging arrangement created to push the players out of their comfort zone, learn some new chords and develop some new chops.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

How to Play Feliz Navidad With Jose Feliciano

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Learn how to play Feliz Navidad with the person that actually wrote. Jose Felicino is an amazing guitarists and musician.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Jose Feliciano performs Feliz Navidad Live From Daryl's House

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

The Christmas classic performed by Daryl Hall & legend Jose Feliciano from the 37th episode of Live From Daryl's House.

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