God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol — also known as Tidings of Comfort and Joy. It is one of the oldest carols, dating back to the 16th century.
I was inspired by Loreena McKennitt’s ethereal take on this song. Rather than use bass notes or chords, I applied Gustavo Santaolalla’s unceasing fingerstyle technique and droning Ab 5th notes. To me, this creates a Celtic and ghostly soundscape.
Spotify and streaming
My version of this piece is also available on all streaming services:
How to play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen | fingerstyle guitar
The guitar tab is just two pages long, beautifully written, and very easy to read. Although the Santaolalla-esque fingerstyle is relentless, I would qualify this piece as relatively easy to play –as it’s just single notes without any difficult chord shapes. Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:
My song structure looks like this, in accordance with the guitar tab is:
Intro, Verse 2x,
Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Post Chorus
Intro, Verse 2x,
Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Post Chorus
Intro.
[guitar tab] God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – Evan Handyside (Ambient, World guitar)
This arrangement is played in standard tuning with a capo on the 4th fret. However, you can play this song in any capo position you prefer.