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Lessons - Edgar Cruz |
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Christmas Lesson: "Carol of the Bells"
by Edgar Cruz
| "Carol of the Bells" |
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If you are a working solo guitarist such as myself, you find yourself every year at about Christmas time having to break out the seasonal repertoire. Carol of the Bells has long been a favorite of musicians in all mediums. I found it extremely enjoyable to play as a highlight to my holiday engagements.
Although I originally recorded this piece at an allegro tempo, you may choose to play it at a slower pace. This piece is much easier to play if you pay close attention to the fingerings. The first two bars (Example 1) are slightly dissonant with the B and C notes played on adjacent strings. Be sure to plant the 1st and 2nd fingers, and strike using free strokes:
Start very quietly
and gradually increase the dynamics as the piece gets more involved. Repeated
passages will be more interesting when variations in dynamics, timbre
and speed are applied.
The bass melody begins in bar 3, which is a passage toward the chordal
section starting at bar 11. At this point you should begin increasing
volume. Strumming is preferred at bar 15, but as an option, you may choose
to do a quick arpeggio, doubling the thumb (p) on the two bass strings,
as shown in Example 2:
At bar 19 you’ll break into the exposition of the piece where alternating the index (i) and middle (m) fingers facilitate speed in the subsequent passages. Note in bar 25 that the bass “A” is fingered on the 6th string, rather than the open 5th string so that it can be stopped from sustaining into bar 26 (Example 3):
Between bars 35 and 42, I like to change the timbre to break the monotony of the repetition. The final passages ask for a more delicate touch as one brings this subtle melody to a close. The last bar requires a strum in the direction of an Am chord in the first position, but imagined in the 12th position by using all octave harmonics (Example 4):
I hope you enjoy this
arrangement and that it finds its way into your seasonal play list.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at edgarcruz@aol.com.
