GuitarTime Christmas, Level 3, Pick Style: Late Intermediate Guitar Book

This collection hits a sweet spot where holiday familiarity meets real technical growth. The progression from single-note melody into double and triple stops gives students something concrete to work toward, and the mix of well-known carols with contemporary holiday songs means you can program selections that actually excite your players rather than defaulting to the same tired arrangements.

Festive without being saccharine. These arrangements respect the source melodies while adding texture and depth through layered voicings that feel natural under the fingers rather than gymnastic.

Late intermediate pick-style guitarists ready to expand beyond single-note playing into more sophisticated voicings. This book serves both solo performers preparing recital selections and ensemble directors looking for holiday material with real musical substance.

• Build the double and triple stops gradually in rehearsal by isolating them on open strings first; most of the discomfort students feel comes from rushing the finger placement rather than a lack of strength.
• Treat dynamic shaping across the multiple voices as your primary rehearsal focus; it's easy for students to lock into one volume level and miss the melodic or harmonic interest in the lower voices.
• Record a rough pass-through of the piece and play it back for the group; hearing how the arrangement sits together often clarifies balance issues faster than explaining them.

Slot individual selections into winter concerts alongside other ensemble music, or use the entire book as your December repertoire for lesson-based guitar instruction. The range of styles from traditional carols to pop-influenced pieces gives you flexibility in creating a cohesive program that appeals to a broad audience.

• Playing double and triple stops with consistent intonation
• Managing multiple voices on the guitar neck without sacrificing tone quality
• Reading pick-style notation across varied harmonic textures
• Balancing melody against accompaniment figures
• Sustaining technical accuracy at performance tempo