- Notes68, 9 pitches
- RangeB4–C6
- Key hereC major
- Tempo132 bpm · about 29 s
- LevelIntermediate
Can a trumpet play Deck the Halls?
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 C major, B4–C6 · loaded above
- Cornet✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, B4–C6 · load it
- Flugelhorn✓ Plays as writtenIn C major, B4–C6 · load it
The notes here are written pitch, which is what a trumpet player reads. On the Trumpet this sounds in B♭ major.
Deck the Halls: 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.
Deck the Halls — trumpet notes (Trumpet) · tonalics.com
The 9 notes it uses
Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 9 and you can play the whole tune.
- B2×2
- C0×11
- D1×16
- E0×14
- F1×9
- G0×7
- A1-2×6
- B2×2
- C0×1
What to expect on a trumpet
- It runs from B4 to C6, an octave and a semitone, using 9 different notes. Its top note is the highest this instrument has.
- 87% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, C5 to A5, at note 60.
- It uses 4 valve combinations (open, 1, 2 and 1-2), and 33 of its 68 notes are played open.
- The lips move across 4 partials of the harmonic series (4, 5, 6, 8).
About the tune
The tune is the Welsh winter air “Nos Galan” — New Year’s Eve — a dance melody that was sung with improvised verses and a harp answering each line. It was in print by the 1790s, and the English Christmas words were added in 1862.
Welsh traditional air “Nos Galan”, in print by the 1790s. Public domain. The notes follow Paul Hardy’s Xmas Tunebook, 2019 (2024), cross-checked against 2 other transcriptions. More about Deck the Halls →
Deck the Halls 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.
- Deck the Halls — kalimba
- Deck the Halls — piano
- Deck the Halls — mbira
- Deck the Halls — oud
- Deck the Halls — violin
- Deck the Halls — cello
- Deck the Halls — erhu
- Deck the Halls — dulcimer
- Deck the Halls — xylophone
- Deck the Halls — marimba
- Deck the Halls — glockenspiel
- Deck the Halls — steel drum
- Deck the Halls — ocarina
- Deck the Halls — harmonica
- Deck the Halls — clarinet
- Deck the Halls — saxophone
- Deck the Halls — flute
- Deck the Halls — recorder
- Deck the Halls — tuba
- Deck the Halls — euphonium
- Deck the Halls — trombone
- Deck the Halls — accordion
- Deck the Halls — harp
- Deck the Halls — lyre
More songs for the trumpet
- Jingle Bells
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Silent Night
- O Christmas Tree
- Joy to the World
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- O Come, All Ye Faithful
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
All 36 trumpet songs · Christmas songs for trumpet · The online trumpet on its own