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Free Monthly Newsletter Lesson - December 2013

"God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman"

Arranged for Flatpicking Guitar Magazine by Mickey Abraham

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Hello and welcome once again to Flatpicking Guitar Magazine’s free lesson portion of our monthly newsletter. This month I’d like to get you into the holiday spirit with an easy yet moving rendition of the traditional Christmas tune “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.”
I have always loved the introspective minor key Christmas songs and this amazing melody is no exception. For this lesson I chose not to get to wild with variations or anything complex -- rather this arrangement focuses on the melody of the tune as it would be sung.
Their are many chord options for a tune like this. My chords are influenced by what I think someone like Tony Rice would play. To me, staying on the Am chord for the first eight measures is very bluegrassy. If one were to bust out bluegrass solos over this groove I feel these chords lend themselves well to improvisation. The bulk of the chords are in fact just the I, IV, and V chords in the key of A minor.
I know you will enjoy picking through this simple arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” As always, if you have any questions or comments on this e-lesson just drop me a line at [email protected]



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