The fingerstyle guitar tab (chord melody) for “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” is available for download as a PDF. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” is a traditional English Christmas carol of anonymous authorship, first printed in the mid-18th century, though its melody likely predates that. The title’s punctuation reflects older English grammar, meaning “keep you … Read More
When Johnny Comes Marching Home – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” is available for download as a PDF.n standard notation. When Johnny Comes Marching Home Irish-American bandmaster Patrick Gilmore wrote this American Civil War anthem in 1863 under the pseudonym Louis Lambert. Inspired by his sister’s longing for her fiancé at the front, the melody likely derived from the Irish folk tune … Read More
Kumbaya – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “Kumbaya” is available for download as a PDF. Kumbaya “Kumbaya” originated as a spiritual within the Gullah Geechee culture of the Southeastern United States during the 1920s. While Reverend Marvin Frey later claimed authorship, the first known recording was captured on a wax cylinder by folklorist Robert Winslow Gordon in 1926. The song became a campfire … Read More
Misirlou – Guitar Tab
Misirlou “Misirlou” is a traditional Middle Eastern melody first recorded as a slow rebetiko song in 1927 by Tetos Demetriades. Its name translates to “Egyptian Girl,” and it spent decades as a sultry dance standard before Dick Dale transformed it in 1962. Dale’s surf-rock version utilized rapid-fire alternate picking, inspired by his Lebanese heritage and a bet from a young fan. The … Read More
Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is available for download as a PDF. Take Me Out to the Ball Game “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was written in 1908 by Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer, two Tin Pan Alley veterans. Despite creating a definitive American anthem, neither man had actually attended a … Read More
Hava Nagila – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “Hava Nagila” is available for download as a PDF. Hava Nagila “Hava Nagila” originated as a wordless Hasidic melody known as a niggun before musicologist Abraham Zevi Idelsohn added Hebrew lyrics in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine. The title translates to “Let Us Rejoice,” reflecting a spirit of communal optimism. The song evolved from a … Read More
Dark Eyes – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “Dark Eyes” is available for download as a PDF. Dark Eyes Written with lyrics by Ukrainian poet Yevgeny Grebenka (1843) and set to a melody adapted from Florian Hermann’s Valse Hommage, this 19th-century Russian romance became widely known in the late 1800s. It spread rapidly through salons, cafés, and traveling ensembles, gaining a reputation for intense … Read More
Wabash Cannonball – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “Wabash Cannonball” is available for download as a PDF. Wabash Cannonball Written by J. A. Roff in 1882 and later revised by William Kindt in 1904, “Wabash Cannonball” is a traditional American folk song celebrating a mythical train racing across the continent during the railroad age. It gained popularity through early recordings and radio in the … Read More
Swan Lake – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for Swan Lake is available for download as a PDF. Swan Lake Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between 1875 and 1876, Swan Lake is a ballet in four acts that marked an early turning point in symphonic ballet music. Its 1877 premiere at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre was poorly received, partly due to choreography rather than the score … Read More
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? – Lead Sheet
The lead sheet for “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” is available for download as a PDF. Where Did You Sleep Last Night? “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” is a traditional American folk song, also known as In the Pines, with roots in the 1870s Southern Appalachians. Authorship unknown, it emerged orally, weaving themes of infidelity, loneliness, and violent … Read More