How to Play Carol of the Bells Chord on Guitar

Carol of the Bells is a popular Christmas song that originated from a Ukrainian folk chant. The song has been adapted by many artists and composers, and it is often played on various instruments, including the guitar. In this article, we will show you how to play Carol of the Bells on guitar using some common chords and strumming patterns.

Chords

There are many versions of Carol of the Bells, but we will focus on one that uses the following chords: Em, D, C, Bm, and Em7. You can also use a capo on the third fret to transpose the song to Gm, which might be easier for some singers. Here are the chord diagrams for each chord:

[Intro]: Am     C      Dm      E    x4
         La, la, la, la...
 
 
Am
Hark how the bells
Sweet silver bells
C
All seem to say
Throw cares away
 
F
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
G
To young and old
Meek and the bold
 
Am
Ding dong ding dong
That is their song
C
With joyful ring
All caroling. (Oh! Oh! Ahh)
 
F
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
G
From everywhere (From everywhere)
Filling the air
 
Am
Oh how they pound, (Oh how they pound)
Raising the sound
C
O'er hill and dale
Telling their tale. (Telling their tale)
 
Am
Gaily they ring
C
While people sing
G
Songs of good cheer
F
Christmas is here
 
E
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas,  x2
 
Am
On on they send
On without end
C
Their joyful tone
To every home
 
F
Ah! Ah! Ah!
 
Am   C     Am   C     Am   C     Am   C
Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong
 
Am     C      Dm      E    x2
La, la, la, la... 
 
Am
Hark how the bells, (Hark how the bells)
Sweet silver bells
C
All seem to say, (All seem to say)
Throw cares away
 
         F           G
(We will throw cares away)
 
Am
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
C
To young and old
Meek and the bold
 
 F                    G
(Bringing good cheer, oh)
 
Am
Oh how they pound, (Oh how they pound)
Raising the sound
C
O'er hill and dale
Telling their tale (Telling their tale)
 
Am
Gaily they ring
C
While people sing
G
Songs of good cheer
F
Christmas is here
E
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas x2
 
 
[Outro] :
 
Am   C   Dm  E
La, la, la, la...

Strumming

The strumming pattern for Carol of the Bells is fairly simple. You can use a basic down-up-down-up pattern for each chord, or you can add some accents and variations to make it more interesting. For example, you can emphasize the first and third beats of each measure, or you can skip some upstrokes to create syncopation. Here is an example of a possible strumming pattern:

Lyrics and Chords

Now that you know the chords and strumming pattern, you can try playing along with the lyrics. Here is one verse and chorus of Carol of the Bells with the chords above the words.

Em D C Bm Hark! how the bells, sweet silver bells, Em D C Bm All seem to say, “Throw cares away.” Em D C Bm Christmas is here, bringing good cheer Em D C Bm To young and old, meek and the bold.

Em D C Bm Ding, dong, ding, dong, that is their song Em D C Bm With joyful ring, all caroling. Em D C Bm One seems to hear words of good cheer Em D C Bm From ev’rywhere, filling the air.

Em D C Bm Oh how they pound, raising the sound Em D C Bm O’er hill and dale telling their tale. Em D C Bm Gaily they ring while people sing Em D C Bm Songs of good cheer, Christmas is here.

G Em Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas, G Em Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas.

Conclusion

Carol of the Bells is a beautiful and festive song that you can play on guitar with some basic chords and strumming. You can also experiment with different versions and arrangements of the song to suit your style and preference. We hope this article helped you learn how to play Carol of the Bells on guitar and enjoy this classic Christmas tune. Happy holidays!