Well it's the weekend before Thanksgiving. Just broke out the Christmas tune books for the first time since December 26 of last year.

First one up? The version of "Silent Night" in Piano Stylings of Classic Christmas Carols (arr. Preston Keys).

My teacher is having me sight read from the Christmas book...says they are more difficult than the classical book we've been using. Have a new book from Mark Hayes to try.

Funny you should say that. I thought about play some christmas tunes. I think about playing the piano every
year even though I have never and couldn't play a single song let alone a Christmas tune. But since I have been
playing the piano a lttle under a year, I am able to play something! I posted here asking if someone could suggest
a Christmas tune book for somebody who is playing book 1 of JT. I can't remember who recommended the
book, Faber "Christmas for all Time book 1 and Book 2. The person who recommended the book said Book 1
would be fine, but book 2 will probably be better next year. She/he was right on the money. The music store
only had Book 2 and Book 1 would come from another branch store. So I said I will take them both but will pick
up book 2 and when book 1 comes in I will pick up book 1. Well, when I got a look at book 2, I figured I could
learn 1 or 2 songs by Christmas. So I put it aside. After a week I got a call to pick up book 1. Well, I was
very pleased. I could problem play all of the tunes by Christmas.
About 5 years ago I attended a church and enjoyed the singing of worship songs but then I got playing basketball on sundays and there went church. I missed the singing. But there is probaby no better chance or opportunity to sing than Christmas songs because since childhood everybody at church, school, friends, you name it, everybody is singing - so this year I will accompany myself with the tunes. I will have to learn to sing sporadically so that I sing like I play - sporadically when I haven polished the tunes.

I took a stab at the first tune in book 1, "We wish you a merry Christmas". I crawled through the song the first time and thought, "well, this isn't a very good book. I can barely figure out the tune by the music." After a few more times playing through and speeding up slightly beyond a crawl, I had a big grin on my face because it wasn't the book or the music at all, I had to play the notes close enough in time that the melody flowed as opposed to playing a note and playing imaginary rests between each note.

Seasons greetings to you.

Now granted I've only had 3 lessons but ordered the Faber's Christmas Music Book 1 for Adults(arrived last Wednesday)and my piano teacher immediately gave me two songs to start practicing.

Reading Christmas Music is a little tricky but I'm able to play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas now"! Working on "Angels We Have Heard On High". I'm so excited!!!