How to Play "Jingle Bells" on the Accordion

Among the many songs you can play on the accordion, "Jingle Bells" is a holiday favorite. But playing this song or any other on the accordion takes some amount of technique. Here's how to attempt this Christmas carol, not through laying out all of the notes you'll be hunting for (you have sheet music and chord markings to tell you that) but through highlighting the methods you'll use to make this song sound great on this wind instrument.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Find your key. For this example, we'll use the key of C. You'll need to find the bass buttons for your left hand that correspond to the notes C, F and G. With your right hand, you'll need to find C on the keyboard.

2. Get to your starting point. When you begin the song, ("Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...") you'll be playing the bass note C, but on the keyboard, you'll actually be starting two whole steps higher, on E.

3. Practice the short, three note repetition that begins the song, getting your air flow going and rhythmically chopping your low C and high E into little bits, by a series of short jerks on the accordion, so that you push the air in increments. If you do it right, you should hear those familiar first notes.

4. Switch your bass note from C to F when you come to the first chord change ("Oh what fun..."). You'll have to follow along on the keyboard at the same time.

5. Make chord changes from C to F and G throughout the rest of the song as necessary, following along on the keyboard.

6. Use good rhythmic patterns. You'll need to pay attention to the tempo of the song, and also the scope of the accordion. When you come to the end of a bar, you'll need to think about switching between expanding and contracting the air in the accordion.

Tips & Warnings

• Your good tempo depends on skillfully switching your directions to make sure you don't get stuck with the accordion extended too far or contracted the whole way, where you won't be able to play any more without reversing direction. Look out for the capacity of your accordion and anticipate it, and your play will sound much better.