
Silent Night
Silent Night originated in Austria in 1818. It was written as a poem, “Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!”, by Joseph Mohr, a young priest in the town of Oberndorf.
The melody was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, a schoolteacher and organist in the nearby village of Arnsdorf. The song was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St. Nicholas Parish Church in Oberndorf, with Mohr playing guitar and Gruber singing.
It is believed that the organ at the church was unusable at the time, possibly due to damage from flooding, which is why Gruber composed the melody for guitar. “Silent Night” quickly gained popularity and spread throughout Europe, eventually becoming one of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time.
I really love this understated arrangement. Everything is in the right place. Guitar doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful. In fact, I would argue that simplicity in music is virtuous, and we should all be striving to play less notes.
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How to play Silent Night | beginner fingerstyle guitar
The guitar tab for Silent Night is beautifully written across 2 pages. The arrangement is great for beginner guitar players and up. This arrangement is very easy to play. Although you can strum the chords with your thumb, I would encourage you to try the arpeggiated fingerstyle technique that I use. Here’s how to do it.
Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:
My song structure looks like this, in accordance with the guitar tab:
Intro, Verse 2x, End.
[guitar tab] **Beginner Fingerstyle Guitar: Silent Night
Silent Night is played in standard tuning.