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SongsCarol of the Bells (Shchedryk)
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  1. 1
  2. 7,
  3. 1
  4. 6,
  5. 1
  6. 7,
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  8. 6,
  9. 1
  10. 7,
  11. 1
  12. 6,
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  14. 7,
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  33. 6
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  48. 6,
  49. 6,
  50. 6,
  51. 6,
  52. 3,
  53. #4,
  54. #5,
  55. 6,
  56. 7,
  57. 1
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  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.

4 strings · C2–A3 open · E5 up the A string in thumb position · Perfect fifths, exactly an octave below a viola. The C string is the deepest note in a string quartet.

Tap a string, or slide along a string and the pitch follows your finger, under a bow that never stops. On a keyboard the letters on the strings are the ones to press — they run down the strings, the A at the top — hold a key and the note holds.

CelloFree · printable · plays in your browser

Carol of the Bells — Cello Notes

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) (the soprano line), written out for the cello as every note with its string and how far up it. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the cello waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes92, 11 pitches
  • RangeE3–A4
  • Key hereA minor
  • Tempo168 bpm · about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a cello play Carol of the Bells?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in A minor from E3 to A4. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Carol of the Bells: cello notes

The large line is the note; the small line under it is the string, and how many semitones above its open note to stop it. 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) — cello notes · 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.

  • ED·2×2
  • F♯D·4×2
  • G♯D·6×2
  • AA·0×16
  • BA·2×10
  • CA·3×25
  • DA·5×14
  • EA·7×16
  • FA·8×1
  • GA·10×1
  • AA·12×3

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from E3 to A4, an octave and a fourth, using 11 different notes. That leaves 16 semitones unused below and 7 above.
  • 69% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C4 to A4, at note 33.
  • It is played on 2 strings (D and A), crossing between strings 4 times.
  • 16 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 12 semitones above the open string.

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 cello

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

Playing it on a real cello?

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

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