Ken Kolodner
This recording is a double CD of over 60 separate tracks of instructions for arranging and playing five Christmas pieces: In the Bleak Midwinter, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Angels We Have Heard on High, The Wexford Carol and Hush My Babe (I Shall Arise; Restoration.) This recording once again presents a wide variety of ideas. Most of the tunes should work well for advanced beginners. I generally present at least one simple version of the tune. But certainly the arranging ideas go well beyond that level such that intermediate and even advanced players should find many ideas to explore for some time. There are a ton of ideas presented here. This CD is well-suited to an advanced beginning as long as they recognize that many of the ideas will take much time to master.

Includes the written music (stored as Word files on the CD) for the basic tune AND two additional arrangements for most tunes:

• The basic tune
• A description of hammering and phrasing
• Chord progression and substitutions
• Use of the relative minor and 7th chords (major, minor, dominant & diminished 7th )
• Use of secondary dominants and the circle of fifths
• Shifting octaves
• Plucking and playing
• Hand separation
• Basslines
• Dissonance
• Chromatics
• Accent shifts and syncopations
• Flams, two and three note chords
• Use of fills, drone notes and melodic runs
• Tremolos
• Hammered and bounced triplets
• Ideas for improvisation and many variations
• Dynamics and phrasing
• Includes fully embellished versions
• Many other arranging ideas

Ideas and techniques are applicable to many different pieces of music.