Color coded handbell music for your own set

How the sheets are made

Each note becomes a circle in the color of the bell that plays it, with the letter inside and the word under it. Longer notes get more room and a line that shows how long to let the bell ring.

The page tries all 12 keys and starts with the one that puts the most notes on bells you own. Notes above or below your set move an octave to the bell with the same letter. A note with no bell at all gets a dashed circle. Player cards split the bells between ringers, low to high, and show each player where their notes fall in the song.

Example: Silent Night on 8 desk bells

Silent Night climbs to the F above high C. On an 8-note set the page keeps it in C and plays the 7 notes above high C an octave lower, and says so above the music. Open this example.

Questions

What colors are handbells and desk bells?

Many children's 8-note sets go in rainbow order: C red, D orange, E yellow, F green, then two blues and a purple for G, A and B, with the top C white or red. The page starts with G light blue and A dark blue, but some brands swap the blues, so change any color under Colors and players to match your own bells.

Do Boomwhackers use the same colors as bells?

Not quite. A teacher's materials list gives the tubes as C red, D orange, E yellow, F lime green, G dark green, A purple and B pink. Choose a Boomwhackers set and those colors are used. Check them against your own tubes.

Can I play a song with sharps on an 8-note set?

Often, yes. The page tries every key and picks the one where the most notes land on your bells, so a song in G with F sharp moves to C. A note that still has no bell shows as a dashed circle and is named above the sheet.

What if the song goes higher or lower than my bells?

Those notes move up or down an octave to the bell with the same letter, as many printed 8-note arrangements do. Each moved note has a small arrow, and the page says how many moved. Untick "Move notes into my range" to see them as missing instead.

How do I type my own song?

Choose "Type my own tune" and enter letters such as C D E for the notes from middle C. Add ' for the octave above (C' is the top C of an 8-note set), - to hold a beat longer, / for half a beat, R for a rest and | for a bar line. Type the words below, split with hyphens: Jin-gle bells.

How do I split the bells between players?

Set the number of players. Each player gets neighboring bells and a card with their bells and the whole song, their own notes in color. With 8 players on 8 bells, everyone rings one.

Will the music print in black and white?

Yes. Every circle has its letter in black on white, so a gray copy still reads, and players who can't tell red from green can follow the letters.