How to Play "Jingle Bells" on the Piano

Co-authored by Cuong Nguyen

Last Updated: October 11, 2023

During the holiday season, everyone loves to hear Christmas songs, and everyone loves to play them on the piano. Even if you're not a piano player, you can still entertain your friends and family with an easy song like Jingle Bells. Once you learn this, it can be easily memorized and played wherever you can get you hands on a piano/keyboard.

Steps

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1
Put your right hand out in front of you. For Jingle Bells, you'll only use your right hand. If you're a total beginner, then the first thing you need to do is to know your "finger numbers".
- Your thumb is finger number 1 .
- Your pointer finger is finger number 2 .
- Your middle finger is finger number 3 .
- Your ring finger is finger number 4 .
- Your pinky finger is number 5 .
- You could write the numbers on your hand if you have trouble remembering them, but it's pretty easy. If you already know note names, then you don't need to know finger numbers.
For Jingle Bells, your hand position will be entirely in the Middle C position (you just need your right hand). To find Middle C, look at your piano or keyboard (or a picture if you don't have one) and notice that the black keys are in groups of two and three.

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That key is called Middle C.
You should be covering 5 white keys, from Middle C to 4 to the right. This is called Middle C Position.
6
Start playing.
- Here's how to play Jingle Bells if using finger numbers: 3 3 3 - 3 3 3 - 3 5 1 2 3 - - - 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 - 5 - 3 3 3 -3 3 3 - 3 5 1 2 3 - - - 4 4 4 3 3 3 5 5 4 2 1 - - -All you have to do is play the finger with that finger number. When you come across a dash (-), then hold the note longer. Each - is one extra beat. For example, if there's 3 3 3 - then on the third 3, you hold the note for an extra beat.
- If you know your Middle C note names (C D E F and G), then this is how you play Jingle Bells with note names: E E E - E E E - E G C D E - - - F F F E E E E D D E D - G - E E E - E E E - E G C D E - - - F F F E E E G G F D C - - -

Expert Q&A

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How do I start learning piano?

Cuong Nguyen
Music Teacher
Cuong Nguyen is a Music Teacher and the Co-Owner of both OC Musica and the Huntington Beach School of Music. He has been teaching music for over 45 years and has extensive knowledge in music teaching pedagogy. He and his team of over 20 professional instructors specialize in teaching piano, voice, guitar, violin, brass, and woodwind instruments. Cuong is the 1984 winner of the Yoshiro Irino Memorial Prize in Composition. He received his Bachelor of Music with Honors from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Cuong Nguyen

Music Teacher

Expert Answer

Learning depends on a number of factors. When do you start, and how old are you? What's your objective, and what's your goal in learning? I started when I was 12 and a half. I was very motivated. I liked to work things out for myself and to learn to be able to read music and do it to learn new pieces as independently as possible and as quickly as possible. So, that's one way to learn. Some people actually learn by listening to them by ear. They put it on YouTube, and then they figured out how to play one or two paces. So, there are all kinds of different objectives and motivations for learning. My personal approach is to teach by example. I would play a piece and let a student play it on their own. Supporting them along the way. Also, learning how to read a piece is very important.

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What are the rest of the lyrics of Jingle Bells?

Community Answer

Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh. O'er the fields we go. Laughing all the way (Ha-Ha-Ha). Bells on bobtails rings, making spirits rise. What fun it is to dance and sing a sleighing song tonight Oh! Jingle bells...

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Will this work for a recorder?

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This guide is for the piano, however, if you know the names of the notes on piano and can translate those notes to play on the recorder, you will still be playing jingle bells.

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Tips

If you find the above chord too hard, you can play just fingers 1 and 5 (C and G) instead.

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Keep practicing.

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If you find the right hand pretty easy, then you can add the left hand chords to make it sound even better. Place you left hand in the same position as your right, only put it on the C below Middle C. This is called Bass C. You know you're in the right position if there are 3 lack keys in between your 2 hands. To play a chord, Hold down fingers 1, 3, and 5 (C, E, and G) all at the same time. Hold it for 4 beats and then play it again. Do this the same time your playing the right hand.

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