‘Tis the season to embrace the magical melodies of Christmas! Whether you’re celebrating with loved ones or creating a festive atmosphere in your own moments, playing Christmas songs on the guitar is a heartwarming way to spread joy.
We did some digging for you to present you three effortlessly-playable Christmas songs on your guitar. Tailored for both seasoned musicians and beginners alike, these tunes are designed to make your holiday season merry and bright, warming hearts from you and everyone around.
So, grab your guitar, tune your strings, and let’s make this holiday season unforgettable with the gift of music. In this Blogpost we will teach you how to play along to 3 christmas classics with ease. Next to that, we of course have a setlist with more songs to choose from, all carefully chosen on their level of ease.
Check out the video below where our guitar wizard Eren breaks down the chorus of each song, and find the songs explained and more interesting info just below here in this blogpost.
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer was originally a character created by Robert L. May in 1939 for department store giant Montgomery Ward. He was assigned to create a character for a line of holiday-themed coloring books.
The book was a big success, and ten years later his brother-in-law Johnny Marks
composed a song based on the original story. Released in time for the holiday season, Gene Autry’s recording of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was the top-charting song during Christmas of 1949.
With a simple, catchy and memorable melody, it’s easy to understand why Rudolph has stood the test of time and became a classic Christmas song for all generations. We’ve included the Jack Johnson version which features a simple chord progression and arrangement, making it an ideal song for guitarists of all abilities this Christmas.
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad was released back in 1970 by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano.
It was not an initial commercial success, taking over 2 and a half decades to enter the US Billboard chart. In December 2018, it became Feliciano’s first top 40 hit since 1968 by climbing to No. 34 in the charts.
The idea to compose the song came from Feliciano feeling homesick and missing his family at Christmas time, while working from his studio in Los Angeles.
The simple lyrics and chord progression make it a universally appealing track, offering an accessible alternative to the more typically elaborate popular Christmas songs. Similarly, the latin pop elements of the song give a unique element to the sound. And that catchy chorus hook makes it a great sing-along option of course.
Merry Xmas Everybody
Merry Xmas Everybody was released in November 1973 by British band Slade, earning the UK Christmas number one slot that year. It sold over a million copies upon its first release, and it is by far their best-selling single. In 2009, PRS for Music announced that up to forty-two percent of the world’s population could have listened to the song – an astounding global reach when you consider most of the song’s lifespan has been in the pre-internet area.
The origins of the song began in 1967, after lead vocalist Noddy Holder had written a song that wasn’t popular with the other band members. A few years later, bassist Jim Lea combined a melody he’d been working on with the chorus and hook of this abandoned track. Holder then went on to write the lyrics in one night, and from there, Merry Xmas Everybody was born.
The overdriven guitar parts in the song instantly create a rock’n’roll vibe to the sound, and this is a nice contrast to the marching snare beat which continues throughout the song. This marching rhythm feels appropriate for a Christmas song, bringing to mind tracks like ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and the percussion elements of big bands which might typically play festive music.
The three songs we’ve looked at all have quite different vibes, and this is a nice alternative choice if you’re looking to crank the guitars up. Not to mention that classic chorus with a memorable hook!
We hope you’ve enjoyed looking into these songs and playing along. Please check out our full Easy Christmas Songs for Guitar setlist and enjoy some festive jamming! Stay tuned for a piano installment coming soon.
Merry jamming!
