Below is the lesson for “Silent Night”

Helpful Tips

“Silent Night” is a great beginner’s fingerpicking song. A good rule of thumb is that each right-hand finger should get its own string. Thumb gets the fourth string, index gets the third, middle gets the second, and ring gets the first. But, rules can always be broken. Many times I will use thumb, index, and middle predominately. It all comes down to comfort. Experiment with what works best for you.

This arrangement also has some stretch chords. Gradually work up to these comfortably to prevent injury. If the chords are too difficult, you can play just the melody notes (generally on string one) and it will still sound great!

Here are a few tips for making some of the barre chords easier to play:

1) You can substitute the G7 in bar 14 for: 0778.
2) The A minor in bar 16 is a big stretch; feel free to substitute this chord for: 0987.
3) You can substitute the 2nd note in bar 17: G note (string 2, fret 3) for the open 4th string (G).