Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords Em, D, A7, A, Gm, Dmaj7, D6, G … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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D            Dmaj7        D6          D
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
                       Em           A7
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Em          A7         Em         A7
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
A                  Em    A7
Now the jingle hop has begun
 
D            Dmaj7        D6          D
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
                      Em          A7
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Em          A7          Em          A7
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
Em     A      D
In the frosty air
 
       G                     Gm
What a bright time, it's the right time
   D7
To rock the night away
       E7
Jingle bell time is a swell time
   A
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh
 
D        Dmaj7         D6           D
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
                  B7
Jingle around the clock
G       Gm            E7       Gm
Mix and mingle in the jingling beat
Em         A           D
That's the jingle bell rock
 
D            Dmaj7        D6          D
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
                      Em          A7
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Em          A7          Em          A7
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
Em     A      D
In the frosty air
 
       G                     Gm
What a bright time, it's the right time
   D7
To rock the night away
       E7
Jingle bell time is a swell time
   A
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh
 
D        Dmaj7         D6           D
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
                  B7
Jingle around the clock
G       Gm            E7       Gm
Mix and mingle in the jingling beat
Em         A
That's the jingle bell
Em         A
That's the jingle bell
Em         A7          D
That's the jingle bell rock

End of song Play again?

Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

D major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = A (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because it both starts and finishes on D and D is heard 26 times while Bm never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	14×
Imaj7	Dmaj7	Tonic — home	D · F# · A · C#	5×
I6	D6	Tonic — home	D · F# · A · B	5×
V7/IV	D7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	16×
V7/V	E7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	4×
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	—
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	4×
iv	Gm	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G · Bb · D	6×
V7	A7	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E · G	11×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	8×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	—
V7/ii	B7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	2×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	—
V7/iv	B7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	2×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	14×
IIImaj7	Dmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A · C#	5×
III6	D6	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A · B	5×
V7/VI	D7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	16×
IV7	E7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B · D	4×
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	—
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	4×
vi	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	6×
VII7	A7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E · G	11×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	8×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 11 different chords appear 77 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E7, D7, B7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Gm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Em A7 Dii → V7ii → V Bmiv → VII7 ×11
A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×5
Em A Dii → Vii → V Bmiv → VII ×5
A7 D DV7 → Iauthentic cadence BmVII7 → III ×2
Gm D7 Div → V7/IVminor plagal Bmvi → V7/VI ×2
E7 A DV7/V → Vsecondary resolution BmIV7 → VII ×2

The move to watch is Em → A7, heard 11 times. From the D side it reads ii → V7 (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant); from the Bm side it is iv → VII7. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over A7, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Gm, follow the chord's notes (G · Bb · D) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With D major shapes

No capo — open D shapes
Capo 2 + C shapes
Capo 5 + A shapes

With B minor shapes

Capo 2 + Am shapes
Capo 7 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Em, D, A7, A; read them as ii–I–V7–V in D or iv–III–VII7–VII in Bm. E7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to A. Keep an ear on Em → A7 (ii → V7 in D, iv → VII7 in Bm): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. Ending on D, the song seals D as home.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.

Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

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