The library · Christmas
Jingle Bells
James Lord Pierpont
The Jingle Bells refrain: two eight-bar halves that only differ at the very end.
C major · 4/4 · 120 beats per minute · 16 bars · 32 s · beginner level
A sleigh ride from 1857
The American James Lord Pierpont published the song in Boston in September 1857, as The One Horse Open
Sleigh: a sleigh race in the snow, without a word about Christmas. It only became a holiday classic in the early
20th century. In December 1965, two astronauts on the Gemini 6 mission even played it in space, on harmonica and
bells.
It has words in many languages; in French, Francis Blanche wrote new ones in 1948, “Vive le vent”. The refrain
melody is still Pierpont's, and that's what Wolfi has you play.
Two almost identical halves
The refrain fits in sixteen bars, in C major, four beats to the bar. My map sees two eight-bar halves:
- A (bars 1 to 8): “Jingle bells, jingle bells…”, repeated Es over a C chord, then a move to
F, and an ending in suspense on G7 (a half cadence), prepared by D7.
- A' (9 to 16): exactly the same, except the last two bars, which close on C (a perfect
cadence).
Four chords are enough: C, F, G7, and that D7 leading to G. Once the first half
is learned, there are only two bars left to learn.
The form
The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.
A A'
The key
- C major
- No sharps or flats
- Scale
- C · D · E · F · G · A · B
- Pillar chords
- I = C · IV = F · V7 = G7
The tricky passages
- Bar 7: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), notes outside the key, 4-note chords
- Bar 15: fast runs (4.0 notes per second), 4-note chords
How to approach it
I rate it at beginner level, with a 6-day plan.
- The right hand in position: thumb on C, and the melody fits almost entirely between C and
G.
- The rhythm of the repeated Es: two quarter notes and a half note, twice. Count out loud.
- The passages I flag: bars 7 and 15, quicker eighth notes over four-note chords. Play them slowly, hands
apart.
- The left hand: one block chord per bar; it's the best way to start playing both hands together.
That's how my plan moves forward: the map, the chord framework, each phrase one after another, the tricky passages,
then everything put together and brought up to tempo, until you play it by heart.