The chorus of “Jingle Bells” uses five notes, and it starts with the same note seven times. It is a good first Christmas tune on the piano and on the recorder. This page gives letter notes for the chorus and the verse.
Quick facts
- Notes in the chorus: five
- Time signature: 4/4
- Written by: James Lord Pierpont, published in 1857
- Start with: the chorus. The verse has wide leaps and comes later
On this page, a dash after a letter means “hold this note longer.” A mark such as D’ means a high note. A comma after a letter, as in G, means a low note.
The chorus on the piano
Line 1: E E E-, E E E-,
Line 2: E G C D, E-,
Line 3: F F F F, F E E E E,
Line 4: E D D E, D-, G-,
Line 5: E E E-, E E E-,
Line 6: E G C D, E-,
Line 7: F F F F, F E E E E,
Line 8: G G F D, C-
Put the right thumb on middle C. Each finger gets one key.
| Key | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finger | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
The chorus starts with finger 3. The hand never moves.
Lines 5, 6, and 7 are copies of lines 1, 2, and 3. Only lines 4 and 8 differ. Line 4 ends up in the air on G. Line 8 comes home to C.
In lines 3 and 7, the last two Es are quick. They take one beat between them.
The chorus on the recorder
Line 1: B B B-, B B B-,
Line 2: B D’ G A, B-,
Line 3: C’ C’ C’ C’, C’ B B B B,
Line 4: B A A B, A-, D’-,
Line 5: B B B-, B B B-,
Line 6: B D’ G A, B-,
Line 7: C’ C’ C’ C’, C’ B B B B,
Line 8: D’ D’ C’ A, G-
The chorus needs five notes: G, A, B, high C, and high D. For the fingerings, read easy recorder songs with letter notes.
The verse on the piano
The verse dips below middle C. The right hand has to move, so learn it after the chorus is easy.
Line 1: G, E D C, G,-,
Line 2: G, G, G, E D C, A,-,
Line 3: A, F E D, B,-,
Line 4: G G F D, E-,
Line 5: G, E D C, G,-,
Line 6: G, E D C, A,-,
Line 7: A, A, F E D, G G G G,
Line 8: A G F D, C-
G, A, and B with a comma are the three white keys just below middle C.
Each of the first three lines starts low, leaps up, and steps down. The first two notes of line 2 are quick. They lead into the line, and so does the first note of line 7.
Add the left hand
Play one low note with the left hand at the start of each line of the chorus.
| Line | Left-hand note |
|---|---|
| 1, 2, 5, and 6 | C |
| 3 and 7 | F, and then C when the tune drops to E |
| 4 | G |
| 8 | G, and then C under the last note |
These three notes are the roots of the three main chords in the key of C. Read chords explained for kids.
How to learn it
- Play line 1. It is one key, seven times. Get the rhythm right: short, short, long.
- Play line 2. Practice the skip from E up to G and the drop to C.
- Play line 3. It is nearly all one key again.
- Learn the two endings. Play line 4 and line 8 side by side.
- Join the lines at a slow, steady speed. Add speed last.
The story of the song
James Lord Pierpont published the song in Boston in 1857. Its first title was “One Horse Open Sleigh.” The words never mention Christmas. They are about a ride in a sleigh.
In December 1965, two astronauts on the Gemini 6 spacecraft played it on a tiny harmonica and a set of bells. It is known as the first song broadcast from space. Read Christmas carols for kids.
Things to do together
Add bells. One person plays the tune. The other shakes bells or keys on every beat.
Loud and soft. Play lines 1 to 4 loud and lines 5 to 8 soft.
Play for the family. Set a date in December, and count the days of practice.
Print and play
Print the piano keyboard chart and the December listening calendar. For more tunes, read easy Christmas piano songs for kids, Silent Night: letter notes, and Joy to the World: letter notes.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.