Christmas songs have a certain magic to them when they're played with the delicate technique of fingerstyle guitar. Whether you're a seasonal player or a year-round Christmas picker, it's helpful to have a few well-crafted tablatures and internet resources to supply you with plenty of music that fits this unique style of guitar playing.
Three Christmas Song Tablatures for Fingerstyle Guitar
These three songs of tablature are quality examples of finger-picked Christmas music, and they will give you a fun start to learning some new holiday songs. Click on the image of the tablature to download a PDF. See Guide for Adobe Printables for help with downloading the file if you have any difficulty.
1. I'll Be Home for Christmas
A holiday classic during WWII and a favorite of overseas troops who were homesick, this lovely ballad also works beautifully with the tender playing of fingerstyle guitar.
2. The Christmas Waltz
Made popular again in recent years as the lead-off track for She & Him's smash-hit Christmas album A Very She & Him Christmas, this song perfectly captures the magic of the holidays. When you play it with fingerstyle tablature, you just might recapture some of She and Him's mellow magic yourself.
3. Silent Night
If this Christmas classic was good enough to cause a truce on Christmas Eve between enemy soldiers during WWI and inspire them to sing together, it's certainly good enough for a tablature example.
Finding Christmas Songs
The internet is a good resource for guitar players who need tabs to songs they love. Check out the following links to find some useful Christmas song resources filled with chord charts.
- Guitar Noise - This is a great resource with excellent articles by author and guitar teacher David Hodge that explains how to play fingerstyle classics like Auld Lang Syne, Silver Bells, Blue Christmas, and more. The articles also have audio clips so you can hear how the songs are supposed to sound as you go.
- Guitar Songs - This site has many other popular Christmas songs like Do They Know It's Christmas, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Let it Snow, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause, to name just a few.
- Ultimate Guitar - With its long list of Christmas songs, this site will likely have what you're looking for, and it offers both tablature and chord charts.
- Matt Warnock Guitar - This jazz guitarist offers a list of free chord charts and music notation for over a dozen Christmas classics.
The good news is this: the more tablatures you learn to play, the easier it gets, and as you learn from the many examples online, you might even begin writing your own tablatures before you know it.
When the Practice Pays Off
It's never too early to begin practicing for the holiday season. The difficult style can be demanding to learn, but being able to play Christmas songs confidentaly on fingerstyle guitar in front of your friends and family is a wonderful feeling, especially when the music is skillfully arranged to show off the beautiful, delicate style of guitar fingerpicking.
