Jingle Bells — Recorder Notes

• Notes51, 5 pitches
• RangeC4–G4
• Key hereC major
• Tempo132 bpm · about 28 s
• LevelEasy

Can a recorder play Jingle Bells?

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.

• Soprano✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–G4 · loaded above
• Alto✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C5–G5 · load it
• Tenor✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, C4–G4 · load it

Jingle Bells: recorder notes

The large line is the note, and the drawing is its fingering — a filled hole or key is one that is down. 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 5 notes it uses

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

• CC4×3
• DD4×6
• EE4×26
• FF4×11
• GG4×5

What to expect on a recorder

• It runs from C4 to G4, a fifth, using 5 different notes. Its lowest note is the lowest this instrument has, and 19 semitones of range are left above it.
• 84% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, G4 to C4, at note 9.
• Every note has the thumb hole fully closed or fully open — nothing in it needs the pinched thumb.

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.

• Jingle Bells — kalimbatabs
• Jingle Bells — pianoletter notes
• Jingle Bells — mbiratabs
• Jingle Bells — handpantabs
• Jingle Bells — oudnotes
• Jingle Bells — violinnotes
• Jingle Bells — cellonotes
• Jingle Bells — erhunotes
• Jingle Bells — dulcimertab
• Jingle Bells — xylophoneletter notes
• Jingle Bells — marimbaletter notes
• Jingle Bells — glockenspielletter notes
• Jingle Bells — steel drumletter notes
• Jingle Bells — ocarinanotes
• Jingle Bells — harmonicatabs
• Jingle Bells — trumpetnotes
• Jingle Bells — clarinetnotes
• Jingle Bells — saxophonenotes
• Jingle Bells — flutenotes
• Jingle Bells — tubanotes
• Jingle Bells — euphoniumnotes
• Jingle Bells — trombonenotes
• Jingle Bells — accordionletter notes
• Jingle Bells — harpletter notes
• Jingle Bells — lyretabs

More songs for the recorder

• 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
• God Rest Ye Merry, GentlemenChristmas songs · octave and a whole step

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