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B♭B♭1 · concert pitchopen · 2nd partial
SongsJolly Old Saint Nicholas
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  1. 3,
  2. 3,
  3. 3,
  4. 3,
  5. 2,
  6. 2,
  7. 2,
  8. 1,
  9. 1,
  10. 1,
  11. 1,
  12. 3,
  13. 6,,
  14. 6,,
  15. 6,,
  16. 6,,
  17. 5,,
  18. 5,,
  19. 1,
  20. 7,,
  21. 1,
  22. 2,
  23. 3,
  24. 2,
  25. 3,
  26. 3,
  27. 3,
  28. 3,
  29. 2,
  30. 2,
  31. 2,
  32. 1,
  33. 1,
  34. 1,
  35. 1,
  36. 3,
  37. 6,,
  38. 6,,
  39. 6,,
  40. 6,,
  41. 5,,
  42. 5,,
  43. 1,
  44. 2,
  45. 1,
  46. 2,
  47. 3,
  48. 1,

American, 19th century; the music was first published in 1874. Public domain.

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

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — Tuba Notes

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, 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.

  • Notes48, 6 pitches
  • RangeF2–D3
  • Key hereB♭ major
  • Tempo100 bpm · about 19 s
  • LevelEasy

Can a tuba play Jolly Old Saint Nicholas?

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 B♭ major, F2–D3 · loaded above
  • BB♭ · 3 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, F2–D3 · load it
  • CC · 4 valves✓ Plays as writtenIn B♭ major, F2–D3 · load it

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas: 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

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — tuba notes (BB♭ · 4 valves) · tonalics.com

The 6 notes it uses

Lowest to highest, with how many times each is played. Learn these 6 and you can play the whole tune.

  • F0×4
  • G1-2×8
  • A2×1
  • B♭0×13
  • C1×10
  • D0×12

What to expect on a tuba

  • It runs from F2 to D3, a major sixth, using 6 different notes. That leaves 17 semitones unused below and 15 above.
  • 85% of its moves are a step or a repeated note. The widest is a fifth, D3 to G2, at note 13.
  • It uses 4 valve combinations (open, 1, 1-2 and 2), and 29 of its 48 notes are played open.
  • The lips move across 3 partials of the harmonic series (3, 4, 5).

About the tune

An American children’s song whose words appeared as a poem in the 1860s. The music was first published in 1874 and is generally attributed to James R. Murray, the composer of the “Mueller” tune for Away in a Manger.

American, 19th century; the music was first published in 1874. Public domain. The notes follow Douglas D. Anderson, The Hymns and Carols of Christmas (sequence released to the public domain), cross-checked against 2 other transcriptions. More about Jolly Old Saint Nicholas →

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas 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.

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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