What Child Is This?

Merry Christmas, Poet-With-A-Day-Job!

Poet commented on another post that this Christmas carol would be the best Christmas present ever, so here it is!  Actually, it was quite easy for me to do, as the tab was already present on this website, only it was listed as Greensleeves.  It's now also listed as, "What Child Is This?"  The tab is the same, as there's no difference in the music.  I apologize for not including the Christmas carol words for the second and third verses, but that would take more time than I have right now.  You are welcome to print the tab and write in the proper words.

Poet also mentioned that he (she?) is a beginner.  The song is published with complete instructions for playing all three verses, which are tabbed in order of increasing complexity.  Of course, as a guitar instrumental solo, they need not be played in this order!  But if you find arpeggios stuck in around the melody daunting, you can still do fine by playing the first verse or two, and learn the arpeggios later, when you have more confidence.

If you like this tab, you might also like A-Soulin', which is another very old, English Christmas carol.  It was popularized in the 1960s by the folk group, Peter, Paul and Mary, but my version is a guitar duet in the form of a round.  There are no difficult techniques or chords in it.  In fact, there's only ONE strummed chord! It's so simple that I teach it to my first-year students. Nevertheless, it sounds absolutely stunning.  Check out the video clip of two of my first-year students.