Whether you are a Christian or not, the festivities surrounding Christmas probably have an influence on your life every December. It is an essential part of the holiday season, and its cultural impact is basically ubiquitous this time of year. And one of the hallmark traditions of this celebration is the singing and playing of Christmas songs. Many songs have permanently found their way into the Christmas songbook over the centuries.

Here at JamPlay, we worked with fingerstyle guitar player, Trevor Gordon Hall to produce a course all about teaching you how to play 5 Classic Christmas Songs. Let’s take a look at each song and its history!

“O Christmas Tree” (“O Tannenbaum”) Song Lesson – Trevor Gordon Hall

The music for the song we know as “O Tannenbaum” or “O Christmas Tree” is actually that of a German folk song from the Baroque era. The modern lyrics to this tune, which were written by Ernst Anschütz in 1824, originally had nothing to do with a Christmas tree. The words compared a fir tree’s evergreen nature to the faithfulness of a love interest. But, as the “Christmas tree” proliferated as a tradition, this song became associated with the holiday as a carol. Then, some time in the 20th century, the lyrics were modified slightly and translated to the English version we sing and play today.

In this lesson from Trevor Gordon Hall, you’ll learn how to play a fingerstyle arrangement of “O Christmas Tree.” For the note-by-note breakdown, check out the full course on JamPlay!

“The First Noel” – Song Lesson – Trevor Gordon Hall

The word “Noel” comes from an Early Modern English word, “Nowell” which was synonymous with Christmas. The song we know as “The First Noel” had its musical origins in Cornwall, England as far back as Medieval times. However, the lyrics and modern version of the song didn’t appear until the late 19th century.

In this lesson, Trevor Gordon Hall demonstrates his fingerstyle arrangement of “The First Noel.” For the breakdown of how to play this arrangement, check out his full course.

“Angels We Have Heard on High” – Song Lesson – Trevor Gordon Hall

“Angels We have Heard on High” is modern Christmas carol based on the music from a traditional French folk song. The song that we know today is based on the hymn, “Gloria” and thus draws its lyrics from passages in the bible. The hymnal adaptation is believed to have originated in the mid 19th century.

Trevor Gordon Hall created a fingerstyle arrangement for “Angels We have Heard on High,” which he demonstrated in this lesson. To learn the whole long note-for-note, check out Trevor’s full lesson in his course on JamPlay!

“Silent Night” – Song Lesson – Trevor Gordon Hall

Hailing from the tiny village of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, “Silent Night” was composed by schoolmaster, Franz Xaver Gruber and a priest named Joseph Mohr in 1818. The English lyrics that are most commonly sung today, however, were not published until 1859.

In this electric fingerstyle guitar lesson, Trevor Gordon Hall shows you how to play his arrangement of this timeless Christmas classic. For the full breakdown, check out his course on Jamplay.

“Auld Lang Syne” – Song Lesson – Trevor Gordon Hall

Last but not least, we’ll look at the popular tune, “Auld Lang Syne.” Though this is not technically a Christmas song, it is commonly sung to celebrate the end of the year amongst other celebrations. The song itself was written and published by Robert Burns in 1788, which he adapted from an older folk song.

You can learn how to play this holiday tune on guitar with this lesson from Trevor Gordon Hall. For the full breakdown, check out 5 Classic Christmas Songs on JamPlay!

For more Song Lessons, check out JamPlay.com! JamPlay has over 450 guitar courses from 120+ instructors, and online guitar lessons tailored to every skill level, music genre, and playing style. Click here to learn more.

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