TonalicsJOURNALOpen Tuner
‹ Accordion songs
SongsCarol of the Bells (Shchedryk)
Play a different song (36)
Play along
  1. 1'
  2. 7
  3. 1'
  4. 6
  5. 1'
  6. 7
  7. 1'
  8. 6
  9. 1'
  10. 7
  11. 1'
  12. 6
  13. 1'
  14. 7
  15. 1'
  16. 6
  17. 3'
  18. 2'
  19. 3'
  20. 1'
  21. 3'
  22. 2'
  23. 3'
  24. 1'
  25. 3'
  26. 2'
  27. 3'
  28. 1'
  29. 3'
  30. 2'
  31. 3'
  32. 1'
  33. 6'
  34. 6'
  35. 6'
  36. 5'
  37. 4'
  38. 3'
  39. 3'
  40. 3'
  41. 2'
  42. 1'
  43. 2'
  44. 2'
  45. 2'
  46. 3'
  47. 2'
  48. 6
  49. 6
  50. 6
  51. 6
  52. 3
  53. #4
  54. #5
  55. 6
  56. 7
  57. 1'
  58. 2'
  59. 3'
  60. 2'
  61. 1'
  62. 3
  63. #4
  64. #5
  65. 6
  66. 7
  67. 1'
  68. 2'
  69. 3'
  70. 2'
  71. 1'
  72. 1'
  73. 7
  74. 1'
  75. 6
  76. 1'
  77. 7
  78. 1'
  79. 6
  80. 1'
  81. 7
  82. 1'
  83. 6
  84. 1'
  85. 7
  86. 1'
  87. 6
  88. 6
  89. 3'
  90. 2'
  91. 3'
  92. 6

Mykola Leontovych, “Shchedryk”, 1916. The melody is public domain; the later English lyric is not used here.

41 keys · F3–A6 · 41 keys · The standard piano accordion: a 41-key keyboard, the same notes push or pull.

Tap a key, or slide along them to run from note to note on one breath of the bellows. On a keyboard the letters on the keys are the ones to press — A to ' are middle C up to F like a piano's white keys, W E T Y U O P the black ones; Z to / are ten bass notes and 1 to 0 their major chords (Shift for counterbass and minor); Space turns the bellows.

AccordionFree · printable · plays in your browser

Carol of the Bells — Accordion Letter Notes

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) (the soprano line), written out for the accordion as letter notes, phrase by phrase and set up above on the Piano keys. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the accordion waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes92, 11 pitches
  • RangeE4–A5
  • Key hereA minor
  • Tempo168 bpm · about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a accordion play Carol of the Bells?

3 of the 4 here do. The check is made note by note against what each one can actually sound. Where the tune does not fit as the library writes it, another key or octave is tried, and the table says which; where nothing fits, it names the notes that are missing.

  • Piano keys✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · loaded above
  • Buttons · C-system✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · load it
  • Buttons · B-system✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · load it
  • Diatonic · one row✕ Cannot play itNeeds F♯4, G♯4, which it does not have

Carol of the Bells: accordion letter notes

The large line is the note; the small line under it is its number in the scale. A dash holds the note another beat, an underline is half a beat, and a dot beside a note makes it half as long again. Each line is one phrase.

▶ Play it above

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) — accordion letter notes (Piano keys) · tonalics.com

The 11 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 11 and you can play the whole tune.

  • E3×2
  • F♯♯4×2
  • G♯♯5×2
  • A6×16
  • B7×10
  • C1×25
  • D2×14
  • E3×16
  • F4×1
  • G5×1
  • A6×3

What to expect on a accordion

  • It runs from E4 to A5, an octave and a fourth, using 11 different notes. That leaves 11 semitones unused below and 12 above.
  • 69% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C5 to A5, at note 33.

About the tune

The Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych wrote “Shchedryk” for unaccompanied choir, built on a four-note folk chant sung at the New Year; it was first performed in Kyiv in 1916. A touring Ukrainian choir brought it to the United States in the early 1920s, where English words about bells were later written for it. Leontovych died in 1921 and his music is in the public domain; the English lyric is not, and is not used here.

Mykola Leontovych, “Shchedryk”, 1916. The melody is public domain; the later English lyric is not used here. The notes follow Wikipedia, “Shchedryk (song)” (engraved score). More about Carol of the Bells →

Carol of the Bells on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the kalimba, mbira, guzheng, handpan, erhu, dulcimer, ocarina, harp or lyre, which do not have the notes.

More songs for the accordion

All 36 accordion songs · Christmas songs for accordion · The online accordion on its own

Playing it on a real accordion?

If it sounds wrong, check the instrument before the notes. The accordion tuner listens through your microphone and names what each note is actually sounding.

🎙 Open the Accordion Tuner