What are you playing for the holidays?

[Pasha Alden]

At Sterling: Handel's Messiah? Wonderful!

[Pasha Alden]

Hi Jamie - that's a different take on "God rest yee merry Gentlemen" Thanks for sharing that one!

[Caleb]

My family and I play music at a friend's Christmas party every year. I get stuck on guitar laying down rhythm but my son will play mando and my wife the violin. We'll throw in a few instrumentals with them harmonizing on the melody. It's always a great time.

[Pasha Alden]

Hi Caleb the family playing session over Christmas sound wonderful!

[dhbailey]

There's a great Mel Bay book: "Mel Bay Presents A Fiddling Christmas" by Craig Duncan which has the melody for about 70 or so Christmas carols and songs (many of the common ones and a lot of less-common songs) and also has a duet part for each song and comes with a piano accompaniment so that it can be used in a variety of settings. My wife (fiddle) and I (mandolin) will be playing a lot of them at several different settings.

[Pasha Alden]

dhbailey: that sounds great!

[Nick Triesch]

Angels we have heard on high! Really fun to play.

[Pasha Alden]

Nick, thanks for that. Will certainly give it a try!

Happy playing

[BarryMClark]

I don't own an instrument in the mandolin family, but am here due to an interest in getting one. I am (slowly) working on White Christmas right now. Always liked the melody.

[Nick Triesch]

Vannilla, I play it in the first position in the key of G. It's all right there. Play in in the higher notes.

[TheBlindBard]

I really should learn some more christmas tunes.
I went toa volunteer program my girlfriend does once called "spirit" they deal with horses, and helping kids who are mentally disabled, a great organization. Somehow we got on the topic of music and I mentioned that I play the mandolin. The director invited me to their christmas party and asked me to play. Unless I can find some Christmas tunes, I'll be playing them a couple of Irish tunes :P

[Pasha Alden]

At Nick: thanks that sounds wonderful!
At BlindBard: Go for it, do get some Christmas music and start playing!

Last night I played another piece of music, one actually played by Andreas Vollenweider for Harp. The song is not so for Christmas, but was on his Christmas CD.
The song is called forgive and the lyrics are:
"Let me be before the world
what I am when I'm alone
and when my vision falls below
let there always be forgiveness

Let me answer when I'm called
Let me know the voice is right
and when it's deep inside my soul
I'll know it by its light
I'll know it by its light
Help me to make the loving choice;

That is just the first verse. I had to transpose it to e-minor but that had to be done. It is a very spiritual song and I think suitable for the holidays, despite being more subdued and gentle. It is beautiful, the theme is a voice of light and forgiveness.
I had to transpose to be able to play and sing along.

Happy playing all and please keep sharing your holiday music!

[TheBlindBard]

It turns out that my sister knows alot of Christmas tunes (she is in orchestra and has the sheet music) so, she said she'd be willing to teach me some of these tomorrow. I'll write them down for practice. Happy picking, everybody.

[Curt Palm]

I'm working on Emory Lester's arrangement of "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel." It's really a beautiful piece and a challenging arrangement. I also play a lot of John Fahey's Christmas song arrangements on guitar.

[Gelsenbury]

"Oh Come Emmanuel" is very nice. "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" and "Old King Wenceslas" are also nice on mandolin. I wonder if I'm ready for "Carol of the Bells" this year.

[HDLuers]

Strike two.

[Tommcgtx]

I'm working on Emory Lester's arrangement of "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel." It's really a beautiful piece and a challenging arrangement. I also play a lot of John Fahey's Christmas song arrangements on guitar.

Are you playing those by ear, or do you have the music for them?

[Gary Ivory]

Being only about 16 months into my lessons, I'm playing whatever my teacher tells me to. : )

So, Silent Night with double stops and tremolo.
and "What Child is This?"

Enjoying the heck out of both of them.

[HDLuers]

Strike two.

HaHa

[TheBlindBard]

So, it turns out the lady at Spirit was serious when she asked me to play. I'm going to see if my sister wants to play and if her violin would be welcome and we'll play some christmas tunes together

[Pasha Alden]

Wow, we are surely all playing and getting out those holiday songs! Thanks for a great discussion in SA we could say "Lekker" which means "neat" or "great" "Nice", it's one of those words used in most contexts of expressing a positive outcome.
Do feel free to keep posting whatever holiday music you are playing. It's my favourite time of the year and to think last year this time I was only waiting for my mandolin!

[TheBlindBard]

I love the holidays. The one thing I hate is how the TV spams you with camertials and you can't hear anything but Christmas music on the radio. When played in a small setting by people who are sincere and enjoy the holidays, it's great :D Happy picking, everybody. Hope everybody has a great Christmas-Yuel-other winter themed holiday.

[Petrus]

The only Yule-themed song I know is "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," on the guitar. It's usually played between the 7th and 9th frets, though sometimes I like to play way up between the 12th and 14th frets. On my old Harmony arch top, it produces a very sweet jazzy sound, not harsh at all. (I know, I need to work on my mando skills more ... one thing at at a time!)

I learned "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" but I found it so boring to play I stopped doing it. Just too simplistic, imo. Same thing with "Amazing Grace." Actually, I should revisit those tunes and try to put a little jazzy or bluesy spin into them, maybe articulate a little different or get some syncopation going to make it more interesting.

[Pasha Alden]

At Petrus and others God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen seems to be a firm favourite here. At blindbard: agreed. I do not enjoy the absolute hype created by the Christmas commercials and then 26 December in SA they are already removing the decorations. I find that really not good. Not sure if I respond merely to the anti-climax after all the hype,, but if they could hype all up for Christmas then I think we can cling to the true spirit of Christmas a little longer, even by way of leaving the decorations up for at least two days more?

Agreed. A setting where people are spending time together and are enjoying the holidays sincerely, that is my thing.
Happy playing all!

Vanilla

[Jim]

A Christmas warning, "Oh Holy Night" is really hard to sing. 20 some years ago I was doing a singalong Christmas carols at the Nursing home attached to the Hospital I worked at. Going through a Carol song book playing guitar and singing with the residents. I got to "Oh Holy night" and realized very quickly it went both below and above my range vocally. Fortunately one of the Volunteers, Ollie, stepped in and rescued me , taking over the singing with the most incredible Baritone voice I've ever had the pleasure to play along with. A Yule memory I will always treasure. Also a lesson, "Oh Holy Night" is really hard to sing!