Duet? Will this Duet Book be useful to me without a readily-available duet partner? The answer is “YES, for sure.” You can still get plenty from my book “12 Songs of Christmas” playing on your own.
All the songs in the book begin with a guitar accompaniment. If you are currently a “lone guitarist” these rhythm guitar parts give you what you need to accompany a singer or any instrument on the melody.
The banjo “takes over” the accompaniment role on the second pass through a song and therefore can also be used in the same way as an accompaniment for a singer, flautist, or keyboardist just to name a few!
The solos for the songs can also stand on their own. The banjo always takes the melody the first time through on all of the arrangements. If you tell a guitarist or any instrumentalist what key you are in, then chances are they can accompany you in their own way by ear. You might well ask,” How do I know what key I’m in?” Answer: I’ve included the key of each song to the lower left of the title.
Each Christmas Carol also presents a guitar solo version on the second pass through the tune. These guitar solos are nice “bluegrassy” variations of the songs themselves. You can play them by yourself on your guitar for the family or try them at a bluegrass jam/Christmas get-together.
Finally – this book can accomplish much more than just teaching you how to play Christmas Carols. Embedded in these chord parts and melodies are licks and ideas that you can use in your “regular” jamming repertoire all year round! So don’t hesitate to pick up this book just because you are currently “on your own.”
After all, when you pull out “12 Songs of Christmas” next holiday season, chances are your musical situation has changed and you do have another player to share these duets with!
