December Free Sheet Music: Greensleeves / What Child is This?

Greensleeves is one of the most popular and one of the oldest songs in the western world; everyone knows it, yet music historians estimate that it was written back in the late 1500s! Also known as What Child is This with a different set of lyrics, it's a beautiful song we sing at Christmastime. There is a simple arrangement of Greensleeves in my Upper Hands Piano: BOOK 3 (p.32, with a discussion about suspended chords) so I thought it would be great to provide you with a more advanced arrangement for my December giveaway. Many of you know that I love adding jazz chords to traditional songs to create a bit of dissonant edginess. I hope you enjoy playing it, but if not, you can go back to BOOK 3 and play the traditional arrangement. Not every pair of ears appreciates jazz harmonies - I get that!

PRINT Greensleeves / What Child is This?

Remember, my free sheet music giveaways are only available for a year; after that you will have to purchase the arrangements on SheetMusicPlus.com. I actually have many arrangements (especially of seasonal songs and pieces) on Sheet Music Plus and their other sister sites, so if you ever would like to peruse my offerings, please search here.

What are you playing these days? Have you started playing any winter holiday songs or pieces? I have my students begin learning or reviewing holiday songs right after Halloween; as you know it takes a while before we can really know a piece well enough to be able to play it smoothly and up to tempo, in front of loved ones.

I hope you have a wonderful winter holiday celebration, and that you don't experience any extreme weather conditions where you live. Our hearts go out to poor Sri Lanka, with so many dying or displaced by the floods. Stay safe, warm, and dry, piano pals. Get to your bench as often as you are able, and give the gift of music to your loved ones. Push yourself to play a song/piece or two at your next holiday gathering. People love to hear it! So be brave and march yourself to that bench, and play....

With much love and music, Gaili

P.S. If you are new to this blog, welcome! I am a veteran piano teacher of 38 years! I post free sheet music every month, arranged for beginning to intermediate piano students, plus posts to motivate and inform. I have written piano instruction books for older adults (UpperHandsPiano.com), younger adults and teens (PianoPowered.com), Songs of the Seasons piano sheet music books for seasonal classical and popular favorites, and my latest piano/guitar/vocals books called The Music Remedy - sheet music collections to restore and revitalize the spirit. Check out my books on the websites above, or click here to view them on Amazon. Thanks so much!