God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Evan Handyside (Ambient, World guitar)

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.

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How to play God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by Evan Handyside

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 order of play, in accordance with the guitar tab is:

Intro, Verse 2x,  

Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Post Chorus

Intro, Verse 2x,

Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Post Chorus

Intro.

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.