Jingle Bells — Free Piano Sheet Music for Kids, With a Play Button

Jingle Bells

Free beginner piano sheet music: C major, 4/4, 16 bars. The right hand alone in C position, thumb on middle C, with the finger number above every note and its letter name underneath. Press Play to hear it on a real piano or slow it down; click any note to start from there; print it for the music stand.

The notes in this piece

Your right hand plays five notes in this piece: C, D, E, F, G. The thumb sits on middle C and each finger has its own key, so the hand never moves. The left hand rests in your lap. The shaded keys are the notes, and the numbers under them are the fingers (1 is the thumb). The same finger numbers are printed above every note in the music, with the note’s letter name underneath. What is C position? →

Where your hand goes

C – D – E – F – G

About this arrangement

James Lord Pierpont published it in 1857 as “One Horse Open Sleigh”, often said to have been written for Thanksgiving, and it has been the Christmas song since. This is the chorus, the part everyone knows. The right hand plays alone in C position, thumb on middle C and fingers 1 to 5 on C D E F G, but it moves around much more than in the easiest tunes: repeated Es, the jump from G down to C in “jin-gle all the way”, the pair of quavers on “in a”, and the little finger’s G on “hey!”.

Practice tip: Learn the first four bars first, they come back as bars 9 to 12. Keep the repeated Es light so the tune does not get heavy.

The words

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

A short history

James Lord Pierpont, an organist and songwriter, published the song in 1857 as “The One Horse Open Sleigh”, and renamed it “Jingle Bells” two years later. Both Medford, Massachusetts and Savannah, Georgia claim it was written there. It is a song about racing sleighs and courting, with no mention of Christmas at all.

The chorus we sing is not quite what Pierpont wrote: his melody for “jin-gle bells” moved more, and the simpler version took over by the early twentieth century.

In December 1965 the astronauts of Gemini 6 played it on a harmonica and sleigh bells they had smuggled aboard, the first musical instruments played in space.

Quick facts

Tune: James Lord Pierpont, 1857
Key: C major, C position
Time signature: 4/4
Length: 16 bars
Tempo: Brightly, crotchet = 116
Difficulty: Level 1: Right hand, C to G (piece 9 of 201)
Type: Carol
Hands: Right hand only, thumb on middle C
Notes: C, D, E, F and G (diagram above)
Copyright: Public domain tune; arrangement by Digital Greenhouse, free for personal and classroom use

Questions and answers

Which notes does Jingle Bells use?

It is in C major, in 4/4 time, for the right hand alone in C position: thumb on middle C and fingers 1 to 5 on C, D, E, F and G. The finger number above each note and the letter name under it tell you which key to play.

How long is it?

C major, 4/4, 16 bars. The tempo marking is Brightly, crotchet = 116.

Is Jingle Bells out of copyright?

Yes. The tune is by James Lord Pierpont, 1857. Our piano arrangement is free for personal and classroom use.

What is the hardest part?

Learn the first four bars first, they come back as bars 9 to 12. Keep the repeated Es light so the tune does not get heavy.

Can I print it?

Yes. Press Print above to put this piece on its own page, or choose Save as PDF as the printer for a file. It prints on A4 paper; if yours is US Letter, choose US Letter in the box beside Print. The notes are the same size as a printed music book.

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