It's that time of year when it's good to have a
few holiday tunes under your fingers. The joyous and powerful melody
and rhythm of "Shchedryk" make it a favorite piece for the holidays,
and the dark minor key and repetitive rhythm sound great when applied
to the guitar.
This melody comes from a shchedrivka, a
Ukrainian New Year's song that wishes good luck and prosperity to the
listener. It was written in 1916 by the Ukrainian composer Mykola
Dmytrovich Leontovych. In 1936, it was adapted by Peter J. Wilhousky,
an American composer and teacher, who gave it new lyrics and the title
"Carol of the Bells." Wilhousky described penning the lyrics when he
needed to fill out a program with his high school choir and didn't want
to subject his students to learning to sing in Ukrainian. The new
arrangement was subsequently published with the subtitle "Ukrainian
Carol" and became a very popular Christmas carol.
The introductory phrase of the piece (shown on
page 2) is the primary melodic motif used throughout. The melody works
especially well on guitar with each note played on a different string,
as shown in the first four bars. Be sure to let each note ring and
overlap for a harplike effect. Take note of the fingerings shown—play
it with your middle and pinky fingers so your index finger will be free
to play the bass notes that begin in measure 5. This is a bit of a
stretch, but it's worth it. If the stretch proves to be too difficult,
you can use the alternate fingering shown below:
You may also have better luck with the stretch
if you rest the guitar on your left knee, classical style, and keep
your thumb behind the neck. This orients the guitar and your left hand
in a position that allows for more lateral reach on the guitar neck.
Even though I almost always play with the guitar on my right leg, I
occasionally shift it to the other knee for pieces that demand a lot of
stretching.
In bar 5, a descending bass line is added to the
repeating melodic motif. It begins on an E note at the seventh fret,
then moves down to D, taking advantage of the open D string. Be sure to
release the E bass note as soon as you play the D bass to stop it from
ringing and to keep your finger from accidentally muting the fourth
string. Play the C bass note (bars 7 and 9) on the sixth string with
your first finger, which means it will be on the same fret as your
second finger, up on the second string. Keep your hand relaxed and
every note ringing clearly. Shift your first finger down a fret to play
the B bass note in measure 8. As you'll see, every bass note in the
first section (bars 5–16) is played with the first finger or as an open
string.
Up until measure 13, every bass note is held for
the entire bar. Beginning in measure 13, an additional bass note is
played on the last beat of the bar to add an extra push to the rhythm.
Just play the first bass note and first melody note together and the
last bass note and melody note together to get the proper feel. To play
the phrase in measures 17–18, barre across all six strings at the
seventh fret. The phrase in measure 19–20 deviates slightly from the
original melody in order to lie on the guitar more easily and to lead
into the next phrase.
The phrase beginning in measure 21 introduces a
new melodic motif but continues the harplike effect of playing notes on
different strings. Notice the repeated notes played on adjacent
strings: in measure 21 the E note on the fifth fret of the second
string is followed by the open E string, and in the next measure the
fretted B note is followed by the open B string.
One of the most exciting phrases in the tune
begins in measure 25. The melody is played using hammer-ons to maintain
the legato feel of the arrangement. The phrase is played twice, but
notice that in bar 28 the last bass and melody notes are played higher
up the neck; this creates a smooth transition to the next phrase. As a
variation, the harplike effect can be extended in this phrase using the
more complex fingering shown in measures 42–43.
This section ends with a reprise of the
introductory melody (bars 29–36), after which you can repeat the tune
as many times as you'd like.
The arrangement ends with the main melodic motif
shifted down an octave. Again, this phrase falls nicely on the guitar
with each melody note played on different strings.
Have fun playing this piece, and don't hesitate
to rearrange it and create your own variations. This piece provides a
lot of room for personal interpretation. It can sound great when played
quietly and delicately or when played very forcefully.
Tune-up