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Greetings and Happy Holidays Active Melodians!
I had plans this month…multiple tracks, steel guitar, ukulele, maybe even singing! (I’ll let you guess the song)…but then Thanksgiving, and my daughter’s 10th birthday party, and then a case of strep throat knocked me out most of the week.
So, I dusted off a chord melody version of my favorite Christmas song, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire). I first recorded it and posted it here like 3 years ago! I’m glad I remember it, and hopefully recorded it a bit smoother than I did a couple years back.
Traveling to Lancaster Pennsylvania this weekend to see one of our family’s favorite bands holiday show; the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Wild & Swingin Christmas. Hope to watch many of your submissions when I get some down time.
Hope you all have a peaceful and happy holiday season!
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Bill,
Wow, clean rendition! Great touch, plus that little lick thrown in at the end. Very nice!
Have a great trip to see those guys, and Merry Christmas!Bruce
Just focus on the notes you DID get right . . . Frank Vignola
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Hi Bill, yes, I think this is my favorite Christmas song! Great arrangement. I always thought this would make a good chord melody piece, and you pulled it off well. Is this your arrangement? I did this song a couple of years back but played chords for one track and melody on another. I should try it chord melody style sometime. Loved it!
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Thanks Michael. I worked with an instructor I was taking jazz lessons with a couple years ago on the arrangement. It was really informative to go through the sheet music with him and have him explain how he was coming up with the chords and how to finger them. There are some voicings there that I would never have come up with! Honestly, its taken a couple of years to actually sink in and understand the harmony…this is definitely a jazz song from the golden era, written by Mel Torme. It’s probably the hardest piece of music I know how to play from memory. I really should notate it, but I end up playing it a couple times a month, all year, just to keep it under the fingers.
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Yep, I would play it that often too. It’s worth it!
I’m doing my best to learn different voicings for chord melody, but it’s almost like learning the guitar again… well, maybe not that bad, but it’s not straight forward. When I learn a new song it’s like “Oh, of course!”, but trying to harmonize a melody out of a fake book hasn’t clicked yet. It’s guitar voicings and the workings of music and harmony in general. I love jazz harmony, but it’s sure beyond I, IV, & V. Little by little, right!? -
I too have been trying to work up some more chord melodies on my own and/or learn from the masters. I do find some common shapes (hesitate to call them chords as they function differently for different places on the neck). But diminish block chords, augmented chords, top 3 string triad shapes with the 6th or 9th involved…seem to be a lot of those that get used.
I was actually working a little yesterday on White Christmas and came up with a cool descending use of triads from the 8th fret C note down to the open E string over the “ Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow” part. Triads being
C CMaj7 C7 F Fm C D7 G7 C (I think, don’t have a guitar in front of me right now).
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“Magnificent!” comes to mind when I hear you play your jazzy pieces, Bill 🙂 I love those chord melodies.
You handle them as smooth as a crooner and the old archtop only adds to the charm. No fun getting strep throat so I hope you’re feeling better. Keeping this masterpiece under your fingers for years sure paid off but is always a good idea to have a small repertoire ready, isn’t it? You must be the coolest Dad ever, maybe one day you’ll be teaching your daughter jazz guitar? Merry Christmas!🎸JoLa
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Wow, a very smooth rendition of a very difficult song to play. I must say this makes me a little bit envious- to have such a great jazzy tune under your fingers is the dream!
Hammergeil, Bill. I also love the nostalgic video setting. Great performance.
Have a fun and save trip and merry Christmas! 😊👋🏽Bluesige Grüße
Juxi -
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Bill, you have become a tasty jazz guitar player! Love that song! Wonderful rendition and so well performed. These jazzy chords sound so sweet in my ears. Great ending.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
DeniseMore Blues!
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What else can I say except—I’m thrilled and amazed that someone can pull something like this off on the guitar.
Vielen Dank, Bill and Merry Christmas
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Bill,
Wonderful. I really dig chord melodies and you got this. Immaculate and enjoyable. I can’t imagine a better submission. Thank you for sharing your gift. A great sentimental listen. PS get well.JH
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That’s the way to doit. Such a classic Christmas song and such a cool arrangement, full of delicious chords and so expressively played.
“The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Wild & Swingin Christmas” is that really a family show 😳😅!
Wishing you a merry Xmas and happy New Year, though it sounds like you have that well in hand😜 -
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Great job on that one, Bill. I love those full-bodied jazz chords you built into it. I notice lots of us posted songs using chord melodies this time. I guess that has something to do with traditional Christmas music, as it would have originally been played on organs and pianos, which are basically chord making machines.
Sunjamr Steve
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Thanks Steve!
That makes sense for the traditional old Xmas songs that would have been played in church, or sung in a choir with 4 part harmony..
For these 1930s-50s “modern” Christmas classics, they are really based off of jazz chord progressions that were what popular music of the time was made up of. They lend themselves well to chord melody with lots of great harmonic movement.
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Yes, sometimes things turn out differently than you think, Bill. But when that leads to a result like yours here, who can complain? I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your jazzy Christmas sounds with a harmonious jingle bell finale. It was just great!
Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom
The next Meetup will be at the beginning of next year 2026A detailed announcement will be posted here in the forum in good time.
I look forward to meet you.
Manfred -
That’s a cool arrangement of this classic tune , the jazz element is right up your street , that melody came out beautifully within the chord progression . I like the way you worked that lick in at the end .
That looks quite an intricate piece with the chordal movement , definitely a keeper for your repertoire it’s that good.
Happy Christmas to you and your family.Martin
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