Monday 30 November 2009

Christmas Songs For Solo Bass

Hi everyone.

Yes, that time of year is sneaking up on us at an alarming rate and soon the sound of relatives saying “play us something on that big guitar” will be ringing in our ears. With this in mind (and the fact that I’m a bit of a big kid where Christmas is concerned!) I thought I'd let you know (or remind you if you were around last year) that a collection of solo arrangements is available from http://www.bassbook.co.uk and is now also available at http://www.learnthelowend.com ( If you haven't already checked out Learn The Low End, I highly recommend it - it's a fabulous site with a range of courses and lessons from some truly incredible players. I'm really honoured to be involved!)

NB If you order from Bassbook, I'm afraid I'm doing everything manually so there may be a slight delay in emailing the file to you (but it should be with you within 24 hours at the most). If you register with Learn The Low End it's all there waiting for you :-)

So what is it? Basically,you get the following in PDF format:

10 Christmas chordal arrangements for solo bass in notation and tablature

Auld Lang Syne, Away In a Manger, Ding Dong Merrily On High/Deck The Halls, In The Bleak Midwinter, Jingle Bells, Joy To The World, O Come All Ye Faithful, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, The First Noel

11 Christmas melodies specially transposed to “easy” keys ( ideal for less experienced players) in notation and tablature

As above, but “Ding Dong Merrily On High” and “Deck The Halls” are presented as seperate pieces

2 mini lessons

An introduction to natural harmonics and a lesson on the two handed tapping technique used for the arrangement of “Jingle Bells”


I also have a favour to ask of you – if you like the arrangements and use any of the bass forums or social sites, please tell people about it :-) Word of mouth is often the best advert an independent musician can get so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time and take care,

Alun