Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — Dulcimer Tab

• Notes48, 6 pitches
• RangeA4–F♯5
• Key hereD major
• Tempo100 bpm · about 19 s
• LevelEasy

Can a dulcimer play Jolly Old Saint Nicholas?

Yes — every one on this page plays it. 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.

• DAD✓ Plays as writtenIn D major, A4–F♯5 · loaded above
• DAA✓ Plays as writtenIn D major, A4–F♯5 · load it

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas: dulcimer tab

The large line is the fret, on the melody string unless a string is named; the small line under it is the note. 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.

The 6 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 6 and you can play the whole tune.

• 4A4×4
• 5B4×8
• 6½C♯5×1
• 7D5×13
• 8E5×10
• 9F♯5×12

What to expect on a dulcimer

• It runs from A4 to F♯5, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 19 semitones unused below and 8 above.
• 85% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, F♯5 to B4, at note 13.
• It uses 6 fret positions: 4, 5, 6½, 7, 8, 9.
• The whole tune is on the melody string, so it can be played with a noter while the other strings drone.
• It needs the 6½ fret, which dulcimers built before about 1980 often lack.

About the tune

An American children’s song whose words appeared as a poem in the 1860s. The music was first published in 1874 and is generally attributed to James R. Murray, the composer of the “Mueller” tune for Away in a Manger.

American, 19th century; the music was first published in 1874. Public domain. The notes follow Douglas D. Anderson, The Hymns and Carols of Christmas (sequence released to the public domain), cross-checked against 2 other transcriptions. More about Jolly Old Saint Nicholas →

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas on other instruments

The same melody, in each instrument’s own notation. It is not offered for the guzheng or handpan, which do not have the notes.

• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — kalimbatabs
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — pianoletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — mbiratabs
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — oudnotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — violinnotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — cellonotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — erhunotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — xylophoneletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — marimbaletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — glockenspielletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — steel drumletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — ocarinanotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — harmonicatabs
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — trumpetnotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — clarinetnotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — saxophonenotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — flutenotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — recordernotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — tubanotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — euphoniumnotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — trombonenotes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — accordionletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — harpletter notes
• Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — lyretabs

More songs for the dulcimer

• Jingle BellsChristmas songs · fifth
• We Wish You a Merry ChristmasChristmas songs · octave
• Silent NightChristmas songs · octave and a fourth
• Deck the HallsChristmas songs · octave and a semitone
• O Christmas TreeChristmas songs · octave and a whole step
• Joy to the WorldChristmas songs · octave
• Hark! The Herald Angels SingChristmas songs · octave and a whole step
• O Come, All Ye FaithfulChristmas songs · octave

All 35 dulcimer songs · Christmas songs for dulcimer · The online dulcimer on its own