Lesson: Easy Greensleeves for Classical Guitar

This is a lesson from my eBook: Easy Classical Guitar Pieces- Volume One – 15 Easy Songs Ranging from Renaissance to Romantic. PDF Download with Notation & Notation + TAB Edition, Fingering, Online Video Lessons for Each Piece. Approximate Grade Level: Post-Method Book to Grade 3. YouTube Lesson Link

This is an easy anonymous lute arrangement (16th Century) From Trinity College, Dublin MS408/2 Bound with William Ballet’s Lute Book. I’ve arranged it for classical guitar but it transcribes directly over without alteration. Greensleeves is a traditional folk song and tune of England. A ballad, A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationer’s Company in September 1580, and the song is found in many 16th and 17th century sources, such as Ballet’s MS Lute Book. Christmas and New Year songs and lyrics have also been associated with this tune from as early as 1686, and by the 19th century many collections of Christmas carols included some version of words and music together. One of the most popular of these songs is What Child Is This?, written in 1865 by William Chatterton Dix.

Bradford Werner

Bradford Werner is a classical guitarist and music publisher from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He originally created this site for his students at the Victoria Conservatory of Music but now shares content worldwide. Curating guitar content helps students absorb the culture, musical ideas, and technique of the classical guitar. Bradford also has a YouTube channel with over 94,000 subscribers and 13 million views. He taught classical guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for 16 years and freelanced in Greater Victoria for 20 years and now dedicates much of his time curating content online and helping connect the classical guitar community. See more at his personal website.