Carols are some of the easiest tunes to learn on almost any instrument, and Christmas time is here. Jingle Bells is considered to be one of the most famous Christmas songs, and it is often sung in American songs around the world.
Even though it wasn’t written as a Christmas song, its original lyrics were about sleigh racing. And did you know Jingle Bells, which is now often associated with Christmas, was the first song ever sent from space?
Get into the holiday spirit with some festivities by playing Jingle Bells on guitar!
This blog post will teach you how to play guitar notes for Jingle Bells. So put on your Santa hat and get ready to start strumming!
Who wrote the song “Jingle Bells”?
Some people say that Jingle Bells started as a choir song or a drinking song. It was James Lord Pierpont who wrote and published the song in 1857. Before we get to the Jingle Bells guitar chords, here are some interesting things about the song’s author:
Pierpont wrote songs for the Southern side. James Lord Piermont was a soldier for the Confederacy, even though his father was against slavery. He wrote several songs for the Confederacy that were used as calls to arms.
He got famous because of the song. Morgan wrote and put together a lot of songs during his life, but Jingle Bells is by far the most well-known. Morgan was put into the Songwriters Hall of Fame because the song became so popular worldwide.
What is the song about?
You now know a little about the person who wrote “Jingle Bells.” But the history of the song itself is also pretty interesting. At first, it had little to do with the holiday season. The song was just about having fun in the snow when it was first written. It wasn’t associated with Christmas music until the 1860s and 1870s, and it wasn’t a very popular Christmas song until much later.
At first, it was called something else. Originally published in 1857 under the title “The One Horse Open Sleigh,” the song is credited to James Lord Pierpont. Other Christmas songs use the tune. French and German songs have the same tune as “Jingle Bells.” These songs, too, are about having fun in the winter. But their words talk about different winter scenes than Jingle Bells does.
The “Jingle Bells” have a reason for being mentioned. Since a horse-drawn sleigh in the snow doesn’t make much noise, people in the 1800s often put bells on the harnesses to help avoid collisions with other sleighs.
Chords for Jingle Bell
The lyrics and chords of “Jingle Bells” are next, as they are arguably the most integral parts of the song. You probably already know the words, but you might be worried about how hard the chords are. But don’t worry; here are the major chords that you need to know:
For instrumental intro and Verse:
- C, F, G7, and C. These are almost all the Jingle Bells guitar chords you’ll need for the intro and verse.
For Chorus:
- C, C7. F, C, D7, G7. These are almost all the Jingle Bells guitar chords you’ll need for the chorus.
Now you know how to play Jingle Bells using the major chords, it’s time to make this more interesting–play fingerstyle!
Fingerstyle Chord Chart for Jingle Bells
For A Major
- Put your 1st finger on the D string at the 2nd fret;
- Then your 2nd finger on the G string at the 2nd fret;
- And lastly, your 3rd finger on the B string, 2nd fret.
- The low E string should not be played or ignored.
G Major (G)
- First finger on A string at the second fret
- Second finger on the low E string at the third fret
- Third or fourth finger on the high E string at the third fret,
C Major
- Put your first finger at the first fret on the B string.
- Position your second finger on the second fret of the D string
- Place your 3rd finger on A string at the 3rd fret
- The low E string must not be ignored or omitted.
D major 7
- 1st finger on B string at 1st fret
- 2nd finger on the G string at 2nd fret
- 2nd fret, third finger on the high E string
- Ignore or turn off the low E and A strings
What about the rhythmic pattern?
There are many different versions and changes to the song “Jingle Bells,” so there is no one right rhythm pattern. This song is fun to mess around with, and find a rhythm pattern that works with your voice or the voices of other people singing along.
But if you want a good rhythm pattern to start with, down-down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up is a common one that works well for a lot of songs. You can use muting and other techniques to change the sound and make it your own. You can also play the chords with your fingers for a softer, calmer version.
Final Thoughts
Oh, what fun it is to read how to play Jingle Bells on guitar, right? That’s because Jingle Bells is one of the most well-known Christmas songs in the world for a good reason: it’s catchy, fun, and easy to play. We hope that these Jingle Bell chords will help you, whether you want to play the music for a group of carolers or want to play some merry Christmas hits on your own.
We wish you a merry time learning the Jingle Bell chords during the holidays. Be sure to check back next week for another guitar lesson. In the meantime, keep on rocking that sleighing song tonight!
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