Frank Sinatra - Jingle Bells - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, G, G7, F, Gb, D7 Easy key D

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Capo 0

C
I love those J i n g l e Bells  Oh
                          G
Those holiday J i n g l e Bells  Oh
            C            Gb
Those happy J i n g l e  B E Double "L" S
             C
I love those J i n g l e Bells  Oh

C
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way
G7              C
Oh, what fun it is to ride
     D7             G
In a one horse open sleigh
C
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way
G7              C
Oh, what fun it is to ride
     G              C
In a one horse open sleigh

C
Dashing through the snow  (Doo Doh!)
                    F
In a one horse open sleigh  (Doo Day!)
                   G
O'er the fields we go  (Doo Doh!)
                 C
Laughing all the way  (Doo Daaayyy!)

C
Bells on bob tails ring
                   F
Making our spirits bright

F                 G
What fun it is to laugh and sing
                   C
A sleighing song tonight

C
Jingle bells, jing jingle bells, Jingle all the way
G7              C
Oh, what fun it is to ride
     G              C
In a one horse open sleigh

C
I love those J i n g l e Bells   Oh
                          G
Those holiday J i n g l e Bells   Oh
            C            Gb
Those happy J i n g l e  B E Double "L" S
             C            G          C
I love those Jingle Bells   All the way
C
Jingle All the Waaayyy

End of song Play again?

Frank Sinatra - Jingle Bells Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Frank Sinatra – Jingle Bells: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it both starts and finishes on C and C is heard 20 times while Am never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	20×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
V7/V	D7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	1×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
III	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	3×
#IV	Gb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · Bb · Db	2×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	8×
V7	G7	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D · F	3×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	—
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	—
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	20×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
IV7	D7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A · C	1×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	3×
#VI	Gb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · Bb · Db	2×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	8×
VII7	G7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D · F	3×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 37 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×8
G7 C CV7 → Iauthentic cadence AmVII7 → III ×3
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
D7 G CV7/V → Vsecondary resolution AmIV7 → VII ×1

The move to watch is G → C, heard 8 times. From the C side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Am side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G7, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones up
5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. C, G, G7, F carry the song: I–V–V7–IV relative to C, III–VII–VII7–VI relative to Am. D7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to G. Keep an ear on G → C (V → I in C, VII → III in Am): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on C, the song seals C 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.