FREE CHRISTMAS CAROLING SONGBOOK

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Tips for playing "Jingle Bells": Easy chords, simple strum pattern--why isn't this song easy? Two things: Its tempo is what you'd expect of a song about horse racing, and the chord durations are irregular. If the strumming pattern is slowing you down, a simpler pattern would also work, like:

        d   D   d   D
Strum:  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

If the strumming isn't giving you any problems, and you're looking to refine your technique, make sure you're accenting the 2nd and 4th beats. It's hard to learn how to sing along with this, but once you get these accents pumping, you'll be glad you put in the time. Incidentally, accenting the 2 and 4 is called the backbeat, the rhythmic foundation of rock music.

Jingle Bells

James Lord Pierpont

Intro: / C - - - / G - - - / D7 - - - / G - - - /

  G (3)                                                                   C (2)

Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh,

                             D7 (2)                     G

O'er the fields we go, laughing all the way,

  G (3)                                                 C (2)

Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright,

                         D7 (2)                                        G (hold ½)   D7 (hold ½)

What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight,         oh

     G (3)                                              C (2)

A day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride,

                                  D7 (2)                           G

And soon Miss Fanny Bright was seated by my side;

        G (3)                                                                 C (2)

The horse was lean and lank, misfortune seemed his lot,

                       D7 (2)                                    G (hold ½)   D7 (hold ½)

He got into a drifted bank, and we, we got upsot.

Chorus

     G (3)                                         C (2)

A day or two ago, the story I must tell

                              D7 (2)                        G

I went out on the snow and on my back I fell.

     G (3)                                                     C (2)

A gent was riding by in a one-horse open sleigh,

                                     D7 (2)                                      G (hold ½)   D7 (hold ½)

He laughed as there I sprawling lie, but quickly drove away.

Chorus

  G (3)                                                         C (2)

Now the ground is white, go it while you're young,

                         D7 (2)                                   G

Take the girls tonight, and sing this sleighing song;

        G (3)                                                   C (2)

Just get a bob-tailed bay, two-forty as his speed,

                                  D7 (2)                                        G (hold ½)   D7 (hold ½)

Hitch him to an open sleigh, and crack! you'll take the lead.

Chorus, End on last G