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Cwritten C4 · sounds B♭3open · 2nd partial
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.

31 notes · F♯3–C6 written · sounds E3–B♭5 · 31 notes · A B♭ trumpet: a mostly cylindrical bore, the bright one.

Tap a note, or slide along them to slur from note to note in one breath. On a keyboard the letters on the notes are the ones to press — Q is middle C, the open low C, and they climb a semitone at a time to the high C.

TrumpetFree · printable · plays in your browser

Carol of the Bells — Trumpet Notes

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) (the soprano line), written out for the trumpet as written notes with the valves for each one and set up above on the Trumpet. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the trumpet waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes92, 11 pitches
  • RangeE4–A5
  • Key hereA minor
  • Tempo168 bpm · about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a trumpet play Carol of the 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.

  • Trumpet✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · loaded above
  • Cornet✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · load it
  • Flugelhorn✓ Plays as writtenIn A minor, E4–A5 · load it

The notes here are written pitch, which is what a trumpet player reads. On the Trumpet this sounds in G minor.

Carol of the Bells: trumpet notes

The large line is the written note; the small line under it is the valves to press — 0 is none. 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) — trumpet notes (Trumpet) · 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.

  • E1-2×2
  • F♯2×2
  • G♯2-3×2
  • A1-2×16
  • B2×10
  • C0×25
  • D1×14
  • E0×16
  • F1×1
  • G0×1
  • A1-2×3

What to expect on a trumpet

  • It runs from E4 to A5, an octave and a fourth, using 11 different notes. That leaves 10 semitones unused below and 3 above.
  • 69% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C5 to A5, at note 33.
  • It uses 5 valve combinations (open, 2, 1-2, 1 and 2-3), and 42 of its 92 notes are played open.
  • The lips move across 5 partials of the harmonic series (3, 4, 5, 6, 8).

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 trumpet

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

Playing it on a real trumpet?

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

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