8 Christmas Tunes Improvised by Sid

Sid Jacobs improvises and breaks down eight well-known Christmas songs, using them to demonstrate melody-first arranging, counter melodies, and voice leading in an easy-to-understand way. Sid's wealth of knowledge and down-to-earth, often humorous explanations make this an enjoyable class for any guitarist who wants to play holiday tunes with more confidence — for a gig, to expand a repertoire, or simply to understand these songs more deeply.

The tunes

• The Twelve Days of Christmas (Partridge in a Pear Tree)
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• I'll Be Home for Christmas
• Let It Snow
• My Favorite Things — including Sid's take on it as Richard Rodgers' lesson in modes and moods
• Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
• White Christmas
• Winter Wonderland

Along the way Sid explores guide tones and two-note turnarounds, "melody chord" arranging (melody first, then fill in the blanks), the gift of open strings in the Christmas keys, deceptive cadences, and a memorable comparison showing how many "advanced" harmonic concepts live inside Happy Birthday. As Sid says of his improvised approach:

"I played it different this time, and I'll likely play it different next time as well." — Sid Jacobs

Over 2 hours of instruction. Read Editor Az Samad's Review of this Class