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SongsCarol of the Bells (Shchedryk)
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Mykola Leontovych, “Shchedryk”, 1916. The melody is public domain; the later English lyric is not used here.

29 notes · C4–E6 · 29 notes in three rings · The lead pan of a steel band, in the fourths-and-fifths layout almost every tenor is built in today.

Tap a note, or drag across them to roll from note to note. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — they climb the pan a semitone at a time from the low C.

Steel DrumFree · printable · plays in your browser

Carol of the Bells — Steel Drum Letter Notes

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) (the soprano line), written out for the steel drum as letter notes, phrase by phrase. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the steel drum waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes92, 11 pitches
  • RangeA4–D6
  • Key hereD minor
  • Tempo168 bpm · about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a steel drum play Carol of the Bells?

✓ Plays as written Every note of it is on the steel drum, in D minor from A4 to D6. The check is made note by note against what the instrument can actually sound.

Carol of the Bells: steel drum letter notes

The large line is the note stamped on the pan; the small line under it is its number in the scale. 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) — steel drum letter 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.

  • A3×2
  • B♯4×2
  • C♯♯5×2
  • D6×16
  • E7×10
  • F1×25
  • G2×14
  • A3×16
  • B♭4×1
  • C5×1
  • D6×3

What to expect on a steel drum

  • It runs from A4 to D6, an octave and a fourth, using 11 different notes. That leaves 9 semitones unused below and 2 above.
  • 69% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, F5 to D6, at note 33.
  • Its notes sit in 3 of the pan’s three rings, so the stick moves in and out as well as around.

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 steel drum

All 36 steel drum songs · Christmas songs for steel drum · The online steel drum on its own

Playing it on a real steel drum?

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

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