Today you will learn a very beloved Christmas song. You will learn to use easy guitar tablature notation so you do not need to know sheet music. Time for Jingle Bells!
First, take a look at this guitar tablature staff:
Piano Concerto
1. ----------------
2. ----------------
3. ----------------
The three lines you see in this tab staff recite the three first strings on your guitar. Of course a general guitar has six strings to play but today we will only need the first strings.
The first string with the estimate one is the string with the top pitch. It is also called E.
When you read a guitar staff you will also find numbers on the line indicating which frets to press down with your left hand.
Here you have an example:
1. -------0---
2. ---1-------
3. -----------
The estimate one on the second line tells you to press down the first fret on the second string. The next estimate zero tells you to play the first string without any fret pressed down. This is called to play on an open string.
Let's start with our Christmas song. Here are the first line of lyrics and the corresponding guitar tab notation:
Jingle bells, jingle bells
1. ---0---0---0---0---0---0---
2. ---------------------------
3. ---------------------------
As a suggestion you can play the strings with your right hand thumb.
Time for the next guitar tablature staff:
Jingle all the way
1. ---0---3-----------0---
2. -----------1---3-------
3. -----------------------
I propose that you give your left hand fingers the assignment to play one fret each as shown here:
Index: first fret
Middle finger: second fret
Ring finger: third fret
Next guitar tab:
Oh! what fun it is to ride
1. ---1---1---1---1---1---0---0---
2. -------------------------------
3. -------------------------------
When you press down the frets with your left hand finger you should place your left hand thumb on the back of the guitar neck for support.
In a one-horse open sleigh
1. ---0---0---0-----------0-------3---
2. ---------------3---3-------3-------
3. -----------------------------------
At first you might find it a minute bit difficult to use your left hand fingers the way I described but when you get used to play this way it will surely help you play better.
Now you only have to repeat the lyrics and the former guitar tabs except the last line of the lyrics which will have a slightly separate melody the last time:
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh! what fun it is to ride
and here is the guitar tablature melody for the last line the second time:
In a one-horse open sleigh
1. ---0---0---3---3---1-----------
2. -----------------------3---1---
3. -------------------------------
Now you have completed the song and the only remaining task is to learn it by heart and you are ready for Christmas!
Guitar Tab - Jingle Bells
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