The Big & Easy Christmas Songbook for Guitar with Tablature: Elementary/Early Intermediate Guitar Book

Familiar melodies bloom under your fingers without frustration. The arrangements respect the songs you've known your whole life while opening them up as guitar pieces that sound complete and musical. There's real joy in discovering that you can play so many recognizable tunes right now.

Beginning and early intermediate guitarists working through their first year or two of study. This book works equally well for private lesson students and self-guided learners who want structured Christmas material that doesn't feel like a step backward.

• Learn the melody line first before adding any accompaniment. This grounds the student in the song and makes adding strums or fingerpicking patterns feel like a natural next step rather than a separate challenge.
• Encourage duet partners to listen to each other during rehearsal. One guitarist playing solo while the other plays rhythm requires attention and blend that builds ensemble awareness early.
• Use the tab as a starting point, not a cage. Once a student has learned the positions through tab, ask them to play without looking at it. This builds fretboard confidence and finger memory.
• Record yourself playing the duet parts so students can practice with the other voice even when practicing alone. Hearing the full arrangement motivates the work.

Program these in the weeks leading up to winter break as a reward and motivation builder. Guitarists can perform solos or duets at holiday concerts, or use the collection as repertoire for December lesson recitals where recognizable holiday songs always land well with audiences.

• Reading tablature and standard notation in parallel
• Playing solo melodies with steady rhythm and phrasing
• Accompanying a melody line with basic chord strums
• Coordination of melody and accompaniment in duet settings
• Transferring learned finger positions to multiple songs