Best Christmas Song Book

[bjc]

Hello.

Just wondering what you guys think would be the best book for Christmas solo mandolin? I'll be playing at a variety of different family gatherings (I waited too long last year and every one got a lot of Bach instead...tee hee)...Just looking for something simple...I see there are more than a few on Elderly...just don't want to spend money on 3 or 4 books to find the "right" one for me. Need money for presents...

[Jasper]

Hey Brian,

I just got "MANDOLIN CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK" arranged by Lee "Drew" Andrews and found it to be fairly simple and straight forward; it has both standard notation and tab. I could play several of the songs that I knew first time through. And if it's too simple, you can always add your own double stops and runs to flourish it up a bit. Then again, some of the most beautiful music is best kept simple.

Cheers,

Jasper

[bjc]

I guess Jasper is the only one playing Christmas music?

[rsgars]

I have found several good ones in the TablEdit Files. Silent Night, The Christmas Song, Janette Isabella, What Child is this. These are offered in pretty simple arrangements but leave plenty of room for your own embellishment.

There are two versions of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. One is very simple, all on the A and E courses. The other is almost entirely double stops. I actually string the two together. I think it gives the song an interesting textureand build.

[Mandomax]

I have used Roland White's Christmas song book for some solo gigs, and the arrangements were very well received. He fleshes the songs out nicely with lots of doublestops and drones, as I recall. Gotta break that one out again- Christmas time's a-comin!

[Tim]

I've used "Jumpin' Jim's Ukulele Christmas". #It has a standard notation arrangement for a solo instrument in the same range as a mandolin.

[Chip Booth]

Rolands' book is full of great arrangements that are fantastic lessons within themselves.

Chip

[leonardbakers]

Butch Baldassari's "Evergreen" is great. It contains many tunes using double stops that are gracefully arranged. Also Alan Alexander's "Christmas Music for Mandolin", a collection of traditional and early Renaissance Christmas tunes, is nice if you like a medieval sound to your Christmas stuff.

Leonard B. Akers

[earthsave]

I need to dust of my copy of Roland White's Christmas book for the holidays.

[John Flynn]

I have to second "Evergreen." It is really great stuff. I have learned and performed several of the tunes and I keep coming back to it.