Everybody's Popular Christmas Songs for Guitar, Book 2: Intermediate Guitar Book

Groeber and Hoge understand that intermediate guitarists need arrangements that feel rewarding to play without requiring advanced technique. These Christmas selections work because they're genuinely enjoyable to hear and learn, giving students real motivation to practice through the holiday season rather than treating the music as a obligation.

Playing these arrangements captures the warmth and familiarity of beloved Christmas music without the frustration of overly complex fingerings. The combination of melody line and chord symbols lets students feel the harmonic structure beneath what they're playing, making each piece more satisfying than a simple lead sheet would be.

Intermediate guitar students who have moved beyond single-note melodies and are ready to coordinate melody with chord reading. Teachers planning holiday concerts who want material that holds student interest while building real musicianship.

• Assign melody and chord parts separately at first, then rotate students through both roles during rehearsal. This builds confidence in reading chord changes while keeping everyone engaged.
• Record a performance of each arrangement and listen together as a group. Students often internalize phrasing and tempo much faster by ear than by notation alone.
• When adapting arrangements for ensemble, have students identify which parts can double the melody and which work better as independent accompaniment lines.
• Work chord names into daily warm-up routines so students recognize common progressions before tackling full pieces.

These work beautifully in a holiday concert format where you alternate between solo performances and small ensemble pieces. You could also use selections strategically throughout December rehearsals as skill-building repertoire that naturally ties into your concert finale.

• Reading melody and chord symbols simultaneously
• Translating written chord names into fingering positions
• Adapting solo arrangements for duo or ensemble performance
• Maintaining consistent tempo and rhythm while managing chord changes
• Learning standard guitar voicings through familiar harmonic progressions