Music help: notes to Jingle Bells?

[Mary-Beth]

Anyone know how to play Jingle Bells on a violin (not sure if the notes are the same on different instruments)

My dd1 plays the violin and she is trying to figure out how to play Jingle Bells. (She's also interested in learning the Happy Birthday song.)

She is studying with the Suzuki method so they haven't gotten into reading sheet music yet and I don't have a clue how to read it either. All the places I see on-line and all the books only have sheet music...can anyone help?

Thanks!!

[mamaMAMAma]

Hmm... I don't play the violin. I assume your daughter can play a scale: doh, ray, mi, fa, so, la, ti, Doh?
If so, she can really just start with whatever scale she is comfortable with.
For jingle bells: (I'm sure she knows the tune and can figure out how long to hold the notes)
mi mi mi,
mi mi mi,
mi so doh ray mi,
fa, fa, fa,
fa, fa, mi, mi
mi, mi, so so fa ray doh
HTH?
Can anyone else who plays the violin help?

[moominmamma]

Start 2nd finger on the A-string, otherwise known as C#. I'll give note names below, with string-name/finger-numbers in brackets afterwards where helpful:

C#-C#-C#, C#-C#-C#
C#-E-A-B(A1)-C#
D(A3)-D-D-D D-C#-C#-C#
C#-B-B-C#-B, E
C#-C#-C#, C#-C#-C#
C#-E-A-B-C#
D(A3)-D-D-D D-C#-C#-C#
E-E-D(A3)-B(A1) A

The "dashing through the snow" verse requires use of the high-3rd-finger position that's learned first in Minuet 2, except in Jingle Bells it's placed on the D-string. That section would probably be more comfortably learned by a student who's at a post-Minuet level. If you'd like the note-names for that too, let me know.

If she's comfortable playing on the D-string, the above melody can be shifted one string lower, putting it in a good vocal range and making it much easier for a group to sing along with.

Miranda

[Mary-Beth]

Oh thank you so much! We know the names of the notes for the E and A strings so it makes since to read it the way you wrote it Miranda.

She's working on Perpetual Motion to give you a sense of where she's at with her studies...but she heard the older kids play Jingle Bells and she's determined. She already figured out a little and her teacher said would help her with it.

If you would go ahead and give me the "dashing through the snow" part...so if she wants to play that as well I'll have that to help her out with it. Dd noticed the kids using their 4th finger, is that what you're talking about?

One more question, dd says she's heard it played with a pluck in the song and she's heard it without a pluck. Do you know what she's talking about? Would that maybe the the "hey!" people sometimes insert in the song?? That's just a guess on my part.

Thanks for your help!

[Mary-Beth]

By the way Miranda, I'm so excited to find you and your blog as we are an unschooling family doing Suzuki as well!!
Maybe I can read through some of your blog for ideas how to support and encourage my little one's -- while maintaining our unschooling spirit along the way too of course!

[moominmamma]

E(D1)-C#-B-A E(D1)
E(D1)-E(D1)-C#-B-A F#(D2)
F#(D2)-F#(D2)-D(A3)-C#-B G#(high 3rd finger on D)
G#(D3^)-E(A4)-E(A4)-D(A3)-B C#

E(D1)-E(D1)-C#-B-A E(D1)
E(D1)-E(D1)-C#-B-A F#(D2)
F#(D2)-F#(D2)-D(A3)-C#-B E-E-E-E
F#(E1)-E-D(A3)-B A ... E ... (repeat "Jingle Bells" chorus here)

Yeah, we're an unschooling Suzuki family. Here is one specific post in my blog that you might find helpful:

Unschooling Music Practice

Cheers!

Miranda

[Mary-Beth]

Thanks again for the notes as well as for the link to your article...it is very helpful!