Music Blog

In this guitar lesson you will learn to play the Christmas song Deck The Halls with the help of guitar tablature notation. I will also explain how to read this easy form of guitar notation!

Guitar tablature notation consists of six horizontal lines representing the six strings of the guitar. The top line of the tablature represents the string with the highest pitch.

Let us take a look at a guitar tablature staff:

1. —————-

2. —————-

3. —————-

4. —————-

5. —————-

6. —————-

On these lines you will find numbers representing the frets to press down. Let’s start with the first line of the lyrics and corresponding guitar tabs:

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

1. ————————————–

2. —3—1—0—————0——-

3. —————2—0—2——-0—

4. ————————————–

5. ————————————–

6. ————————————–

The number 3 on the second string means that you press down the third fret on the second string and play the note with your right hand.

Let us continue:

Fa la la la la, la la la la

1. ——————————————-

2. ——-0—1——-0———————

3. —2———–2——-2—0——-0—

4. ——————————-4———-

5. ——————————————-

6. ——————————————-

‘Tis the season to be jolly

1. —————————————

2. —3—1—0—————0——–

3. —————2—0—2——-0—-

4. —————————————

5. —————————————

6. —————————————

Fa la la la la, la la la la

1. ——————————————-

2. ——-0—1——-0———————

3. —2———–2——-2—0——-0—

4. ——————————-4———-

5. ——————————————-

6. ——————————————-

Don we now our gay apparel

1. —————————————

2. ——-0—1——-0—1—3——-

3. —2———–2—————2—–

4. —————————————

5. —————————————

6. —————————————

Fa la la, la la la, la la la

1. —————0—2—3—2—0——-

2. —0—2—3———————–3—

3. ——————————————

4. ——————————————

5. ——————————————

6. ——————————————

Troll the ancient Yule tide carol

1. —————————————

2. —3—1—0—————0——–

3. —————2—0—2——-0—-

4. —————————————

5. —————————————

6. —————————————

Fa la la la la, la la la la

1. —0—0—0—0—————————

2. ———————-3—1—0————-

3. ————————————2—0—-

4. ———————————————-

5. ———————————————-

6. ———————————————-

Try to use left hand index finger to play the notes on the first fret, the middle finger for the notes on the second fret and so on. This will help you keep you left hand in the same position as you play!

What can you do to stay motivated as you practice on your guitar? How can you increase and maintain the joy of playing? Here are some tips on how to keep that joy that made you start playing the guitar in the first place!

What can you do before setting goals?

The reason why we don’t keep our guitar playing goals might be that we haven’t been honest with ourselves before the goal setting process.

Before actually setting goals you have to decide why you want to play guitar or want to be a better player. Make an honest survey of your assets and wishes in the area of guitar playing.

Your inner wishes will probably conquer your goals if they are not the same.

How to set goals

In order to set goals that you will actually work towards you might ask yourself:

Do I really want to accomplish these goals?

Will I really feel good when I reach my goals?

I guess you will agree with me that the only goals that are really meaningful are the ones that will take you in that direction that leads to a place you want to be at!

I think that a part of your guitar playing goals should be focused practicing melodies you want to play in front of other people.

One common reason for starting to play the guitar is to be able to play the pieces of music you like.

This means that as you learn to play guitar, a goal might be to learn a number of songs or melodies by heart so you can play them in any setting.

These songs or melodies are to be learned so well that you don’t have to worry if you are asked to play.

One reason for having a repertoire with guitar pieces thoroughly rehearsed is that you can feel that you perform at the top of your ability when asked to play.

Remember, it should be guitar pieces you like to play.

If you do not like what you play you run the risk of memorizing these feelings together with the material you play.

When you practice a guitar piece you will memorize much more than the melody. At least these things will be memorized:

1. Hopefully the melody

2. Your attitude

3. Your level of body tension as you play

4. Your posture

5. The pressure you apply when pressing down the strings or holding your pick

If you like what you practice this joy will probably be transmitted to the audience when you perform.

In order to keep your motivation to practice on top and be able to stick with your guitar playing goals I suggest that you consider the following tips:

1. Ask yourself these questions to evaluate your future ability to stick with your goals:

Why do I want to be a better guitar player?

Is it because I like to play guitar?

Is it because I am “forced to”?

Is it because I want to impress my friends?

What things do I like to play on the guitar?

2. Set goals that take into consideration what motivated you to play in the first place. If you like strumming chords and sing your favorite songs your goals should probably be in that area.

3. Learn pieces that you feel good about and let other people listen to them and feel good too.

Acoustic guitars come in all shapes and sizes and they range from a wide variety of prices and costs. The standard acoustic guitar will cost you about $500 and will only feature six strings. Although these are commonly used the most there are still fairly other popular models of acoustic guitars.

The 12 string acoustic guitar is another popular type of guitar because it produces a sound that is far richer then a 6 string guitar. Beginners will find a 12 string a lot easier to play as well since it is generally easier to fret the notes. The only major difference between the two is that you play twelve strings instead of just six.

If you are unsure as to what type of guitar you want to buy, then I would recommend that you get a standard six string and then after if you like, you can try using a twelve string. I say this because most pop and rock songs will use a six string because it is far more common sounding then other types of guitars.

Generally a twelve string guitar is used in classical or very strong acoustic pieces. If this is the style of music that you play or that you like then you may want to get one for yourself. Usually the price for a twelve string guitar is slightly more than others.

The best thing you can do is to go around on other websites and look at reviews and see what types of guitars get the most positive feedback. You can then decide what type of guitar is right for you.