Jingle Bells: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By J. Pierpont

E major
5/4
138 BPM
Medium

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany Jingle Bells without reading music. The left hand plays rock’n’roll rocker (rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle) and the right hand pausing chords.

The main tune of Jingle Bells in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
ERB4 A4 E4 F#4
LE2 B2 E3 F#3 E3 C#3 A3 D#3 B3

Bar 2
ERG#4+B4 G#5 A4+F#5 G#4+E5
LE2 B2 E3 F#3 E3 F#2 E3 G#2 E3

Bar 3
ARA4+C#5 G#4 C#4 D#4
LA2 E3 A3 B3 A3 A2 E3 G#2 E3

Bar 4
F#mRE4+C#5 C#5+A5 B4+G#5 A4+F#5
LF#2 C#3 F#3 G#3 F#3 G#2 F#3 A2 F#3

Jingle Bells accompaniment in letter notes

The E – A – F#m loop with rock’n’roll rocker in the left hand and pausing chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
ERG#4+B4+D5+E5 G#4+B4+D5+E5 G#4+B4+D5+E5
LE2+B2 E2+B2 E2+C#3 E2+C#3 E2+B2 E2+B2 E2+C#3 E2+C#3

Bar 2
ARC#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4
LA2+E3 A2+E3 A2+F#3 A2+F#3 A2+E3 A2+E3 A2+F#3 A2+F#3

Bar 3
F#mRA4+C#5+E5+F#5 A4+C#5+E5+F#5 A4+C#5+E5+F#5
LF#2+C#3 F#2+C#3 F#2+D#3 F#2+D#3 F#2+C#3 F#2+C#3 F#2+D#3 F#2+D#3

Bar 4
ERG#4+B4+D5+E5 G#4+B4+D5+E5 G4 G#4 B4 C#5 B4 G#4 G4 E4
LE2+B2 E2+B2 E2+C#3 E2+C#3 E2+B2 E2+B2 E2+C#3 E2+C#3

Bar 5
ARC#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4 C#4+E4+G4+A4
LA2+E3 A2+E3 A2+F#3 A2+F#3 A2+E3 A2+E3 A2+F#3 A2+F#3

Bar 6
F#mRA4+C#5+E5+F#5 A4+C#5+E5+F#5 A4+C#5+E5+F#5
LF#2+C#3 F#2+C#3 F#2+D#3 F#2+D#3 F#2+C#3 F#2+C#3 F#2+D#3 F#2+D#3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

Play next

The same left hand: Rock’n’roll rocker

About this pattern

Questions about Jingle Bells

What are the letter notes for the Jingle Bells piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is E – A – F#m, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in Jingle Bells?

The loop is E – A – F#m (I – IV – ii) in E major, and the song ends on E – B7 – E.

What key is Jingle Bells in?

E major, at about 138 beats a minute in 5/4.

What does the left hand play in Jingle Bells?

Rock’n’roll rocker: rock’n’roll 5–6 shuffle, a medium pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Jingle Bells easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 3 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Can I hear the real melody of Jingle Bells?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 8 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.