Category: Instruments

Silent Night: First Christmas Carol I Learned on Guitar

One of my best Christmas gifts was a guitar when I was age 13. My parents gave me a beginner nylon string classical guitar. When I was 14, I started taking guitar lessons at a local music store. Gratefully, I still continue to play guitar, as well as bass, harmonica, and more recently I started learning to play the ukulele.

Another favorite Christmas gift from my parents, two years later, was a songbook of Christmas Carols for beginner guitar. The first carol I learned to play on guitar was “Silent Night”. This carol is in 3/4 time (3-count) and is well-suited for beginner guitar players, as the tempo is slow to moderate. This song also uses only three chords (C, F, G). The G chord is sometimes played as G7.

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Happy Thanksgiving: We Gather Together

Pumpkin gathering

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I learned a new song on prior Thanksgiving Day that I would like to share with you.

See related posts for guitar and ukulele.

While I have sung the hymn “We Gather Together” several times, I had not played the song on guitar before. About a half hour before Thanksgiving dinner, my brother asked me to say grace, or prayer before the meal. I had happened to have brought my ukulele with me (but not my guitar), and immediately thought of the hymn, “We Gather Together”.

So in addition to saying grace, I also played and sang this hymn, along with my niece who held my phone so that I could read the lyrics and chords.

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Hymn: We Gather Together, key of D, melody, 1st pos.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When I searched online for the lyrics and chords for this song, it was in the key of D Major. This is a very singable key, as the melody range is an octave plus one note.

This transcription of the single note melody is in first position of guitar fretboard. This melody also uses open string notes on first 4 strings (D, G, B, E), so key of D also makes it easier for beginner guitar players.

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Hymn: We Gather Together, key of A, melody, 1st pos.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This version of song melody is in key of A Major. This may not be a singable key for everyone, but it might work for women (sopranos) and young children.

This transcription of the single note melody is mainly in first position of guitar fretboard, but it does extend to 7th fret (B note) on the first string (high E).

This A Major melody uses open string notes on first 2 strings (B, E), so that may make it easier for beginner guitar players.

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Hymn: We Gather Together, key of A, fingerstyle guitar

Happy Thanksgiving!

This fingerstyle guitar arrangement is in the key of A Major, and mostly in first position. There are some measures that are farther up the neck; 5th position in measure 11 (A chord as F chord shape), and 6th position in measure 7 (within 2-note harmonies on 4th and 1st strings).

For measure 7, it’s actually 5th position if you use your middle finger on 4th string and pinky on 1st string. I highly recommend getting used to using your pinky finger; it’s 25% of your 4 fingers that you use on the fretboard! Use of your pinky is essential when playing fingerstyle guitar.

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Autumn and Halloween Tunes on PEG-TV Arts Show

On September, 26, I visited with Mary Crowley at the PEG-TV studio in Rutland. Mary is the host of the local “Arts and More” show. She was taping for the October 2019 program (Episode 4).

Host Mary Crowley interviews Sherri Birkheimer Rooker, Executive Director of Chaffee Arts Center for the ARTS portion, and Ron Pulcer, guitar teacher, for the MORE portion for episode 4 of ARTS and MORE!

My section is from 13:16 to 28:22 in the video:

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