This version of “Jingle Bells” is intended to be humorous and fun. You may choose to explain this arrangement to an audience by stating that the opening is a slower, minor key version of the verse. It may even be interesting to have the students play the verse melody first in the major key and then in the minor key to illustrate how a few small changes make a big difference.
Encourage the performers to exaggerate humorous elements in this arrangement. Players and audience alike can benefit from being reminded that a primary goal of any performance is joyful music-making. Laughter isn’t always a part of this, but sometimes it is.
This level 4 arrangement includes a few percussive elements:
- In the opening section, guitar 3 makes a drum sound by hitting the bridge with the side of the right hand thumb
- In the same section, guitar 3 makes a snare sound by muting the strings lightly with the left hand and strumming down through the strings with i, m, and a. Experiment with staggering the right hand fingers slightly. This will create a quick burst of unmeasured attacks
- In the verse section (starting with m. 17), guitar 1 plays bass notes with the flesh of the right hand thumb. Frequently the bass notes are followed by choking the notes with a loose right hand fist over the sound hole, mimicking the stand up bass.
- In the verse section (starting with m. 17) guitar 3 mimics jingle bells by strumming the treble strings behind the nut with i.
Historical Perspective
Originally written for Thanksgiving (not Christmas!) in the 1850’s by James Lord Pierpont, this is now one of the most popular Christmas songs. Pierpont’s published title was “One Horse Open Sleigh.” Once a resident of Medford Massachusetts, Pierpont is believed to have written the song there. However, by the publication date of the song (1857), Pierpont was the organist and music director of a Unitarian church in Savannah, Georgia. He married the Mayor’s daughter and stayed in the city even after the church was closed for its abolitionist leanings.