Christmas Songs for Beginning Ukulele
Throw on your Santa hat, grab your ukulele, and get in the Yuletide spirit with this collection of your favorite Christmas carols! You'll learn easy versions of both the melody and the rhythm parts, so you can play these songs as instrumentals or accompany singing (the complete lyrics are included for all songs). Each tune also includes a brief history of its origins and notes on the arrangements. Plus, step-by-step video instruction from ukulele teacher, singer-songwriter, and composer Diane Nalini to get your caroling started on the right foot.
Download easy-to-follow chord diagrams, standard notation, tablature, and lyrics for all 15 songs in this collection:
- Jingle Bells
- Joy to the World
- Deck the Halls
- Silent Night
- The First Noel
- Away in a Manger
- O Christmas Tree
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
- What Child is This?
- We Three Kings of Orient Are
- God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
The tunes “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night,” and “Away in a Manger” are among the easiest, using just three chords each. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” have slightly more complex, but very instructive cyclic chord progressions. “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and “What Child Is This?” all are in minor keys, which we will discuss along the way.
With a little practice, you should soon be entertaining your friends and loved ones with these Christmas classics. Plus, the kinds of chords, chord progressions, rhythms, and melodies used in these songs are fundamental to countless styles of music - even if you only return to this repertoire during the holiday season, learning these tunes is well worth your time.
This guide was lovingly arranged by award-winning musician, author, and educator Peter Penhallow, who has produced numerous albums for young children and books of easy repertoire. It was edited by Adam Perlmutter, the music editor for Ukulele magazine and editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine.