Description
In this week’s guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play the Christmas classic, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” as a solo guitar composition (no jam track needed). I’ll explain how this composition was created so that you can create your own compositions by combining chords and scales.
Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson
Slow Walkthrough
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Video Tablature Breakdown
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I been looking forward to this all year. Thanks a lot Brian !
I love the swing feel. It makes it more interesting to me and more desirable to learn. Thanks Brian
Absolutely Beautiful, Just in time for Christmas, Thanks Brian,
Myra.
Hey!Hey!Hey! Christmas song is here Love it!Love it!Love it! Like this style Love the song Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!!!! Dave
I look forward to the yearly Christmas song too. Great job on this!
Dan
Great! Sounds great, looks fun to play, and just full of ideas and snippets that are broadly useful.
Thank you very much!!!
This sounds great on your Gibson Brian!
I just nailed the Jingle Bells lesson from 2019 so the timing on this is perfect!
Happy Holidays All .
A great arrangement of this familiar classic tune. Excellent job, Brian!
Hi, Brian,
Thanks for this one!
Congratulations, you’ve managed to take a boring standard and turn it into a fun piece.
Keep up the good work!
Great lesson Brian. Man I love that guitar!
Wonderful! A GREAT groove for the Holidays!
Very very nice Brian,
This will be fun to master.
Thanks
Ray P
Merry Christmas Brian!
Once again, week after week, I see this lesson coming out on YouTube before I get a notice in my email. I am a Premium Member.
Also, you seem to be sending two emails each week to the exact, same email address.
You need new IT guys.
There are no “IT guys” – it’s just me. and I ALWAYS send the email out on Tuesday – even though the lesson goes live the Friday prior too. There are marketing reasons for doing that … view count goes up, more comments, etc. It’s done that way on purpose. You can always just visit the site on Friday and see what’s new 🙂
I like the swing arrangement very much (and can be adapted to other familiar Christmas songs. Easy to adapt “We three KIngs” to the same vibe, for example. Just a technical note: the swing tempo is actually half the straight tempo as originally played by you.
Another fantastic year w/ Active Melody – Thank you Brian
Merry Christmas
Great lesson, Brian. I like the mood you create with your tune. Cool vibe. 👍🏽
Probably a dumb question but how do you know the chords? Do you just look up the chords to the song and then try to fit in the melody?
the chords are on there, eg. Am and E7
If I heard this tune being played somewhere I would stop and listen-now you have made a ‘stop and listen’ tune available to be played by a very average punter like me. What a great Christmas present you’ve given us all. Many thanks Brian
A great lesson and perfect intro to chord melody
That’s the coolest Xmas tune i’ve ever heard, luv it!
Just so much fun! although I had to look up the notation above the 22nd fret (it’s been so long…)
“15ma means “quindicesima” in Italian. This is written to indicate that the passage, or notes, should be played 2 octaves higher (or lower if it is written beneath the notes).”
The intro is already so familiar….
duh, 22nd Bar
I just watched a tutorial on Swing by Jason Ricci, which was highly entertaining as well as educational. So this is awesome. I love this lesson.
Have you ever done an ep on accompanying a harmonica player?
absolutely lovely piece….more of this jazz/swing type chord-melody stand alone compositions please !!!
So much fun. I’m having a blast with the intro groove.
I love this arrangement, Brian!
Is there a reason why the full tempo mp3 track is not included?
One of my favourite holiday songs, and you arrange it in such a fun and beautiful way, thanks, Brian!
hi Brain I so much enjoy your Christmas lesson .Having lot of enjoyment and learning so much about the instrument I loved for over 59 years.
THANK YOU
ron cap
Very nice.
How about JINGLE BELL ROCK?
Never thought it was a great song until I heard the Annie Moses Band do the most incredible and powerful version! If you’ve never heard it, find it and listen. You’ll be hooked.
This one is great Brian. For some reason. your beginning reminded me of a version of Take 5 by Buddy Merril. It was that kind of jazzy rythmn with a bluesy lead. Then you threw in the Chet Atkins harmonics. Love it !
You are a true Gentlement ;-]
Sure sounds easier than it is to actually play, at least rhythm wise. For me anyways..
WOW, Love it! My son and I can jam with it during our holiday celebration!
That tone is fantastic
Thanks Brian,
I finally got this down after lots of practice a few day before Xmas👍🎸
Merry Xmas🎅
you had me with Jingle Bells. I singed up for yearly as soon as I heard it today. I love how you swing the chord melodies we all know straight. what you are calling solo arrangements I call chord melodies. More please!. Show tunes, pop tunes, Christmas tunes, anything just keeping teaching us how to arrange chord melodies to familiar tunes. . I wish there was a section for all solo or chord melody arrangements and how to get there with simple familiar melodies. Its early August and I will be glued to Christmas tunes all summer. is there a chord melody section ? Please just one that is not Christmas. Im so glad I found this program. thanks. Im really fine with Christmas tunes in a so cal august heat wave.
Brian,
Im currently working on Silent Night, and this one us next in my list.
I would love to hear you olay O Come O Come Emmanuel. But if you do it in late November, I’ll never learn it in time for Christmas. You always come up with the most beautiful chords, and it takes me weeks for muscle memory to kick in. Would September be too soon???
Thanks for another great version of one of my favorite Christmas Corals.
Brian,
Have you considered playing a big handful of your Christmas compositions to be published on CD so your members could purchase one for the holidays. If you focused on just the Christmas lesson songs it would also be a great way to learn the different pieces too.
Dennis
The more of these lessons I learn, the faster I am able to learn them and that is very encouraging ❤
Merry Christmas all. ✝️🙏🎁
Matthew 13:12 KJV
For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.