The First Noel — Dulcimer Tab

• Notes72, 8 pitches
• RangeD4–D5
• Key hereD major
• Tempo104 bpm · about 42 s
• LevelIntermediate

Can a dulcimer play The First Noel?

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, D4–D5 · loaded above
• DAA✓ Plays as writtenIn D major, D4–D5 · load it

The First Noel: 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 8 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 8 and you can play the whole tune.

• 0D4×3
• 1E4×6
• 2F♯4×9
• 3G4×6
• 4A4×12
• 5B4×14
• 6½C♯5×13
• 7D5×9

What to expect on a dulcimer

• It runs from D4 to D5, an octave, using 8 different notes. That leaves 12 semitones unused below and 12 above.
• 93% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fourth, D5 to A4, at note 23.
• It uses 8 fret positions: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6½, 7.
• 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

A Cornish carol, first printed in 1823 and given with this tune in William Sandys’s collection of 1833. It is unusual among carols in that its verse and its refrain are nearly the same phrase, sung three times over — some scholars think the tune is a descant that outlived the melody it was written against.

Traditional Cornish carol, first printed in 1823 and with this tune in 1833. Public domain. The notes follow Paul Hardy’s Xmas Tunebook, 2019 (2024), cross-checked against 1 other transcription. More about The First Noel →

The First Noel 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.

• The First Noel — kalimbatabs
• The First Noel — pianoletter notes
• The First Noel — mbiratabs
• The First Noel — oudnotes
• The First Noel — violinnotes
• The First Noel — cellonotes
• The First Noel — erhunotes
• The First Noel — xylophoneletter notes
• The First Noel — marimbaletter notes
• The First Noel — glockenspielletter notes
• The First Noel — steel drumletter notes
• The First Noel — ocarinanotes
• The First Noel — harmonicatabs
• The First Noel — trumpetnotes
• The First Noel — clarinetnotes
• The First Noel — saxophonenotes
• The First Noel — flutenotes
• The First Noel — recordernotes
• The First Noel — tubanotes
• The First Noel — euphoniumnotes
• The First Noel — trombonenotes
• The First Noel — accordionletter notes
• The First Noel — harpletter notes
• The First Noel — 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