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B♭B♭1 · concert pitchopen · 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.

42 notes · C1–F4 · the pedal B♭0 on the ladder · 42 notes · The band tuba: 18 feet of tube in B♭, and a fourth valve that fills the gap above the pedal.

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 the low F on the BB♭ (the G on the CC) and they climb a semitone at a time.

TubaFree · printable · plays in your browser

Carol of the Bells — Tuba Notes

Carol of the Bells (Shchedryk) (the soprano line), written out for the tuba as written notes with the valves for each one and set up above on the BB♭ · 4 valves. Press Play to hear it, Practice to learn it one note at a time — the tuba waits for you — or Play along to keep time with it.

  • Notes92, 11 pitches
  • RangeD2–G3
  • Key hereG minor
  • Tempo168 bpm · about 26 s
  • LevelIntermediate

Can a tuba 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.

  • BB♭ · 4 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn G minor, D2–G3 · loaded above
  • BB♭ · 3 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn G minor, D2–G3 · load it
  • CC · 4 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn G minor, D2–G3 · load it

Carol of the Bells: tuba 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) — tuba notes (BB♭ · 4 valves) · 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.

  • D1-2×2
  • E2×2
  • F♯2-3×2
  • G1-2×16
  • A2×10
  • B♭0×25
  • C1×14
  • D0×16
  • E♭1×1
  • F0×1
  • G1-2×3

What to expect on a tuba

  • It runs from D2 to G3, an octave and a fourth, using 11 different notes. That leaves 14 semitones unused below and 10 above.
  • 69% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a major sixth, B♭2 to G3, 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 tuba

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

Playing it on a real tuba?

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

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