Jingle Bells Piano
This Jingle Bells piano version is a fun and lively arrangement of the song that has some challenging sections to learn, most notably in the fast moving bassline of the left hand part. It is suitable for piano players who are reasonably early on in their learning as it is in a simple key and the shortest note value is an eighth note (quaver). It is a good opportunity for pianists to practice their left hand as the bass notes of this Jingle Bells Piano sheet music are the foundation for the groove.
The very fast tempo and right hand harmony may be too much of a challenge for some and so I have also produced a Jingle Easy Piano arrangement as well which you can download at the end of this post.
Jingle Bells Sheet music
It is the leaping bass notes in the left hand which give this Jingle Bells piano arrangement its energy and rhythm. I would certainly suggest practising the left hand bass part slowly and separately from the right hand before trying to combine the 2 hands together. You almost need to get to the point where the left hand part feels “automatic” and “easy” to play before speeding up the tempo and combining the hands.
The articulation of the bassline is very important. Emphasis should be placed on the 1st note of each measure with the other notes played staccato:
The phrasing in this Jingle Bells piano arrangement is crucial to capturing the feel of the song and producing a convincing performance.
Sweeping opening phrases of the piece contrast with the staccato crotchets (quarter notes) of bar 7.
The Sforzando stab chords are accented and staccato; these help punctuate the arrangement and should be enjoyed!
The last 4 bars which are effectively an outro or a coda are quite bluesy in their feel and hopefully provide a fun ending to the piece. They also give an indication of the style of keyboard improvisation that is possible over this style of bassline. More advanced pianists may like to use the left hand part as a foundation for some improvised solos.
Jingle Bells Easy Piano
Here is a simpler piano version:
Lyrics
Jingles Bells was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893) sometime around 1850.
Here are the lyrics:
Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bob tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
I hope you enjoy learning to play this Christmas classic.
It is a great tune to learn as you can have great fun singing it with friends and family during the festive season.
The choice of tempo may change slightly when you are singing with others. You may want to slow the tempo slightly as this will enable others to sing along with the lyrics.
The piano part will also work as an accompaniment to other instruments, such as a violin, recorder or flute.
The key signature of C major should mean that it is fairly easy for someone to play on a solo instrument.
Have fun!!
