[Updated November 2021]
Free audio download on SoundCloud.
This piece is available on all streaming services including:
Greensleeves: a brief history
Believed to be composed in the late 16th/early 17th century, 'Greensleeves' never began it's many incarnations as a Christmas song. It was only until William Chatterton Dix wrote the carol What Child Is This (set to the Greensleeves tune) in 1865 -- that this traditional English folk motif became a seasonal song.
There is a legend that Greensleeves was composed by Henry VIII for his lover and future queen Anne Boleyn. Allegedly, she rejected King Henry's attempts to seduce her, and this rejection is referred to in the lyric, she cast me off discourteously.
Another interpretation of the lyrics is that, Lady Green Sleeves, was a promiscuous young woman or a prostitute. "Green" referring to the grass stains on her dress from crudely rendered services.
Some believe that Lady Green Sleeves was not promiscuous, as she levels a "discourteous" rejection toward the storyteller's advances. However, it remains that Greensleeves is a beautiful and classic hymn, whose author and intent will always be a mystery.
You might also like to play...
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen | fingerstyle guitar + TAB
The Last of the Mohicans | fingerstyle guitar + TAB
Braveheart: A Gift of Thistle | fingerstyle guitar + TAB
Gear used
For this piece, I used my Cordoba GK Studio guitar. You can find a current list of my gear here.
How to play Greensleeves for classical guitar
(Resources: learn more about Premium Memberships here. Get my weekly posts right to your inbox.)
Greensleeves is known to be very easy to play on classical guitar in its A minor variation. However, this version however begins in D minor, which I believe breathes a little life into an old classic. It's an appropriate "next step" for practicing guitarists. Enjoy, the tab is available below:
