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SongsJingle Bells
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  1. 3,
  2. 3,
  3. 3,
  4. 3,
  5. 3,
  6. 3,
  7. 3,
  8. 5,
  9. 1,
  10. 2,
  11. 3,
  12. 4,
  13. 4,
  14. 4,
  15. 4,
  16. 4,
  17. 3,
  18. 3,
  19. 3,
  20. 3,
  21. 3,
  22. 2,
  23. 2,
  24. 3,
  25. 2,
  26. 5,
  27. 3,
  28. 3,
  29. 3,
  30. 3,
  31. 3,
  32. 3,
  33. 3,
  34. 5,
  35. 1,
  36. 2,
  37. 3,
  38. 4,
  39. 4,
  40. 4,
  41. 4,
  42. 4,
  43. 3,
  44. 3,
  45. 3,
  46. 3,
  47. 5,
  48. 5,
  49. 4,
  50. 2,
  51. 1,

James Lord Pierpont, published 1857 as “One Horse Open Sleigh”. Public domain. The chorus.

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

Jingle Bells — Cello Notes

Jingle Bells (the chorus), 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.

  • Notes51, 5 pitches
  • RangeC3–G3
  • Key hereC major
  • Tempo132 bpm · about 28 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a cello play Jingle Bells?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the cello, in C major from C3 to G3. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Jingle 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

Jingle Bells — cello notes · tonalics.com

The 5 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 5 and you can play the whole tune.

  • CG·5×3
  • DD·0×6
  • ED·2×26
  • FD·3×11
  • GD·5×5

What to expect on a cello

  • It runs from C3 to G3, a fifth, using 5 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 21 above.
  • 84% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, G3 to C3, at note 9.
  • It is played on 2 strings (G and D), crossing between strings 5 times.
  • 6 notes are an open string, and the highest stop is 5 semitones above the open string — it never leaves the bottom of the neck.

About the tune

James Lord Pierpont published it in Boston in 1857 under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh”; it was reissued two years later with the name everyone knows. It is a sleighing song and does not mention Christmas at all, but it has belonged to the season for well over a century.

James Lord Pierpont, published 1857 as “One Horse Open Sleigh”. Public domain. The chorus. The notes follow Paul Hardy’s Xmas Tunebook, 2019 (2024), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about Jingle Bells →

Jingle Bells on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng, which does 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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