Here We Come, Wassail & Auld Lang Syne

Description

In this set of lessons, we are going to learn to play 3 very popular traditional Winter Carols.

Now, I'm calling these 'Winter Carols' and not 'Christmas Songs' because each of these songs is about timeless mid-winter traditions, yet not specifically about the religious Christmas holiday.

We will learn to play each of these songs in two different styles:

First, we'll learn how to play a simple strumming version of the song that is perfect for singing along with - either by yourself, or with your friends, family, and community gatherings.

And then, we'll also learn to play a single-note melody version of each song. The single-note melody versions work beautifully as a solo instrumental, or to be played along with a friend who is playing the accompanying chords.

I'll be showing you these songs on my steel-string acoustic guitar, but they can also easily be played on a nylon-string classical guitar, and/or an electric guitar. The mood and sound will vary depending on what kind of guitar you use, but the techniques I show you can be used across the board.

In each of these songs, I'll be using a capo. This will allow me to use the easy chord 'shapes' of G, C, and D, while the capo allows me to adjust the key of the song to be a good fit for my singing voice.

You can feel free to learn these songs along with me, and then experiment with where to put the capo to best suit your own singing voice as you take it on your own.

The first two songs refer to an ancient British Isles mid-winter tradition, called 'Wassail', or 'Wassailing". Wassail was a drink that originally was made with Mead, a beer of sorts, made from fermented honey. Later the recipe evolved to include fruits and spices, and even a slice of toasted bread to give it more heft.

Near the time of the Solstice, or Mid-Winter, friends and neighbors would gather outdoors in the apple orchards with their wassail, often served in a large communal bowl that everyone drank from. The bowl could be handmade from wood, or metal. The ritual was intended to bless the apple crop for the spring season that would come after the long cold winter.

Later, the idea of 'Wassailing' came to resemble what we now think of as going Christmas Carolling, door to door. Groups of friends would go door to door in their villages, singing songs, and sharing in sipping from the Wassail bowl.

You'll hear elements of the Wassailing tradition in the first 2 songs in this tutorial.

The third song in this tutorial, Auld Lang Syne, traditionally sung at New Year's, is an ancient tribute to turning over a new leaf, letting go of what has gone before, and welcoming new times.