The holidays are here and that means gathering together to play and sing your favorite songs! Guitartricks has a ton of songs from popular artists as well as seasonal classics. Here are a handful of must-play songs perfect for an acoustic get-together or if you just want to electrify a familiar carol.
Don’t forget to tell us about your favorite holiday songs in the comments below!
Frosty the Snowman Chords: G - C - G - C - G - D7 - G
To play this song, one must be familiar with a couple of techniques like the boom-chuck and playing a bass run in between chord changes. The song sounds like a simple affair but is actually more interesting musically than one may expect.
Caren teaches this song using the boom-chuck strumming technique which translates to hitting the bass note with your thumb, and then striking the chord with the rest of your fingers. The thumb is the “boom,” while your other fingers do the “chuck.”
Carol of the Bells Chords: Am - Gmaj - Fmaj - Emaj
This seasonal favorite is nothing short of epic. And in our lesson, Christopher teaches you how to play on an electric guitar. It sounds absolutely amazing. The song was originally written for a symphony orchestra but this Guitartricks version features two harmonized electric guitars.
The rhythm guitar parts in this are fairly straightforward. The chords are listed above.
If you want a great excuse to practice your scales and finger exercises while also playing a holiday classic, this is the song for you.
All I Want for Christmas Chords: G - A7 - D7 - G
There are a few interesting parts of this song. First of which is the “vamp” intro on the open G chord. “Vamping” essentially means you can play the chord however you like, and strum leisurely to get yourself ready for the performance. Generally, it’s a moment in the song where the audience takes some time to gather themselves.
Another interesting move in this song is the bass run. A bass run simply means playing a melody on the lower strings, in this case, the fifth string, or A string. The bass run connects the verse to the bridge and adds some character to the song.
Deck the Halls & Jingle Bells Chords: G - C - G - D - G
Lisa shows us how to play these two classic winter carols using two methods. First, she’ll teach you how to strum these songs. And then, she’ll teach you how to play the melodies.
Learning these Christmas songs in different ways adds variety to the playing, and even gives you a chance to play with a friend if they’ve already got the chords covered.
Don't forget, we have more holiday songs right here.
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