Hal Leonard Corporation
Hal Leonard Christmas Songs Really Easy Guitar Songbook
★★★★★
Twenty-two Christmas carols in first-position chords, lyrics, and basic tab — the seasonal guitar book that beginning players can actually sit down and play through.
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Overview
Play Your Favorite Christmas Songs with Ease
The "Christmas Songs" songbook from the Really Easy Guitar Series provides easy-to-follow charts for guitarists of all levels, featuring chords, lyrics, and basic tab for 22 popular Christmas favorites.
- Title: Christmas Songs Songbook - Really Easy Guitar Series
- Contents: 22 Songs with Chords, Lyrics & Basic Tab
- Publisher: Hal Leonard (August 1, 2019)
- Language: English
- Print length: 40 pages
- Format: Print Replica
Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- Twenty-two recognizable holiday songs in a single volume provides a complete seasonal practice repertoire without needing multiple books or individual sheet music purchases.
- First-position chord-and-tab format serves as a natural bridge between rhythm strumming and single-note melody playing, giving beginners a clear next step in their development.
- Lyrics printed alongside chord diagrams makes this book functional for group sing-along sessions — it works equally well as a campfire or family gathering resource, not only for solo practice.
- Hal Leonard's professional music engraving produces notation that is clean and readable at a glance, easier to parse mid-song than the cramped or inconsistent formatting found in budget songbooks.
- Compact 40-page format is lightweight and easy to bring to a gathering, lesson, or rehearsal without the bulk of a comprehensive method book or bound folio.
👎 Cons
- The 40-page length constrains the arrangements to skeletal chord-and-basic-tab versions — players who have progressed past the beginner stage will find the simplified arrangements lacking the harmonic and melodic depth they want.
- Flat-spine binding tends to spring closed at the stand mid-song, requiring a clip or weight to maintain the open page — an inconvenience that a spiral binding would eliminate entirely.
- No audio companion tracks, QR code access, or online recordings are included, leaving learners without a reference for tempo, feel, or how each arrangement is intended to sound at speed.
- The simplified voicings and basic tab omit fingerpicking patterns, capo arrangements, and any chord substitution detail that intermediate players might prefer for a more musically complete treatment.
- Digital alternatives — chord apps, YouTube tutorials, free tab sites — cover most of these same songs at no cost, making the book's value primarily about the convenience and curation of a printed, portable format.
Frequently Asked Questions
What skill level is this Really Easy Guitar songbook designed for, and can a complete beginner use it?
The Really Easy Guitar series targets beginners and early-intermediate players who can form basic open-position chord shapes. The arrangements use first-position chords and simplified single-note tab lines — no barre chords, no complex fingerpicking patterns. A player who knows four to six open chords can work through most songs in this book within a reasonable practice window.
Does this book include guitar tablature, chord diagrams, or standard music notation?
Each of the 22 songs includes chord diagrams, full lyrics, and basic guitar tablature. The tab covers simplified melodic lines rather than full note-for-note arrangements, giving players a starting point for single-note passages without requiring the ability to read standard notation.
Are the 22 songs in this book the traditional full versions, or simplified arrangements?
They are simplified arrangements — the melodies and harmonies are recognizable, but the arrangements are adapted for easy-guitar accessibility using open-position chords and basic tab. Players expecting full arrangements with extended intros, solos, or chord substitutions will find them stripped down compared to lead sheet or professional guitar-specific songbooks.
Is this book part of the broader Hal Leonard Really Easy Guitar series, and are the other volumes comparable in format and difficulty?
Yes — Hal Leonard publishes the Really Easy Guitar series across a wide range of genres and artist collections, all following the same consistent format: chord charts, lyrics, and basic tab for approximately 20–22 songs per volume. The difficulty level and page layout are consistent across the series, making it easy to add volumes without adjusting to a different format.
Is this songbook spiral-bound for stand use, or does it have a flat spine that requires holding open?
The standard edition is a flat-spine softcover Print Replica at 40 pages. It is not spiral-bound, so it tends to spring closed during a practice session. A clip, music stand peg, or book weight helps keep it open at the right page while playing.
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