James Lord Pierpont · C major
Jingle Bells: piano notes for beginners
Jingle Bells is in C major and runs to 8 bars. The chorus everyone knows, and the first three bars use one note. There are three levels here: the melody on its own, the melody with one bass note per bar, and both hands together. Every note shows the finger to use, and the music waits for you rather than running ahead.
Three levels
Start at whichever one you can manage
One hand
The melody on its own, right hand only.
Play level 1 → LEVEL 2Melody and bass
One steady left-hand note under each bar.
Play level 2 → LEVEL 3Both hands
The full arrangement, both hands as written.
Play level 3 →The opening is three E naturals repeated. Get them even before you go any further.
The notes
What notes are in Jingle Bells?
The melody uses 5 different notes: C, D, E, F, G. It is written in C major in 4/4 time, and runs to 8 bars.
Every note the melody uses, lit on the keyboard. C major.
Before you start
Common mistakes on Jingle Bells
- Uneven repeated notes at the start. They should sound like one steady pulse.
- Missing the drop to C in bar three, which is the biggest jump in the tune.
- Rushing the run of quicker notes in bar six.
The practice room highlights the bars you keep fluffing and offers to loop them, so you do not have to spot these yourself.
Copyright
Why this piece is free
Written by James Lord Pierpont, who died in 1893, and first published in 1857. Out of UK copyright since 1964. The arrangement, the fingering and the notation on this page are our own original work.
See the full public domain policy for every piece on this site.
Keep going
After this piece
A step easier: first piece · C major in 4/4 time Open → 2 Ode to Joy
About the same level: beginner · C major in 4/4 time Open → 3 Für Elise
The next step up: returning player · A minor in 3/8 time Open →
New to reading the dots? The guide to reading music is free, and the five minute walkthrough comes before everything else.