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Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

What Child Is This?

1 guitar song · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Folk Rock

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About This Collection

"What Child Is This?" is not a band but rather one of the most beloved Christmas hymns ever written, set to the melody of "Greensleeves," an English folk song dating back to the late 16th century. The lyrics were penned by William Chatterton Dix in 1865, but the melody itself is believed to have originated around 1580. For guitarists, this piece is a cornerstone of fingerstyle repertoire and a fantastic vehicle for developing essential classical and folk techniques. The song is written in 3/4 time with a hauntingly beautiful minor tonality (typically in A minor or E minor), making it an ideal study piece for players looking to build confidence with waltz-time fingerpicking patterns and minor key phrasing. From a guitar perspective, "What Child Is This?" (Greensleeves) is one of the most rewarding traditional pieces you can learn at any skill level. Beginners can approach it with simple open chord voicings and a basic arpeggio pattern, while intermediate and advanced players can explore classical fingerstyle arrangements that incorporate bass note movement, melody on the treble strings, and harmonized counterpoint. The piece naturally lends itself to Travis picking variations, where the thumb handles alternating bass notes while the index, middle, and ring fingers pluck the melody and inner voices. This independence between thumb and fingers is one of the most important skills any acoustic guitarist can develop. The harmonic structure moves through a classic minor key progression (Am, G, F, E in the key of A minor) with a contrasting major section in the chorus that shifts to C major and G major before resolving back through F to E. This gives guitarists excellent practice navigating between relative major and minor tonalities. The melody also features characteristic ornamental notes and passing tones that teach you how to add tasteful embellishments to any melodic line. Overall difficulty ranges from beginner-friendly (simple strummed or arpeggiated versions) to quite challenging (full classical guitar arrangements with simultaneous bass, harmony, and melody). It is an essential piece for any guitarist building a repertoire of timeless, recognizable music.

What Makes What Child Is This? Essential for Guitar Players

  • The 3/4 waltz time signature is perfect for developing your arpeggio picking patterns. Practice a steady thumb-index-middle-ring pattern across the strings to build right-hand independence and evenness.
  • The song's A minor tonality and its movement through Am, G, F, and E chords provides an excellent workout for common open position chord transitions. Focus on keeping your fretting hand relaxed during the Am to G shift, which requires repositioning multiple fingers simultaneously.
  • Advanced players should try playing the melody on the first and second strings while maintaining a steady alternating bass with the thumb on the lower strings. This Travis picking approach mimics classical counterpoint and dramatically improves finger independence.
  • The contrasting major section (C, G, F, E) teaches you how relative major and minor keys interact harmonically. Pay attention to how the E major chord functions as a dominant, creating tension that resolves back to A minor with a satisfying pull.
  • Ornamental techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and grace notes are natural additions to the melody line of Greensleeves. Try adding a quick hammer-on from G# to A on the first string to give the melody an authentic Renaissance feel and practice your legato articulation.

Did You Know?

Legend has it that King Henry VIII composed the Greensleeves melody, though most musicologists consider this unlikely. Either way, guitarists have been arranging this tune for fretted instruments for over 400 years, making it one of the longest-standing pieces in the plucked string repertoire.

The original Greensleeves melody was likely performed on the lute, a direct ancestor of the modern guitar. Many classical guitar arrangements stay faithful to Renaissance lute tablature, giving you an authentic connection to centuries-old technique.

The song uses what's called a Romanesca bass pattern, a descending bass line common in Renaissance music. This same pattern influenced countless rock and pop progressions, so learning Greensleeves actually teaches you a foundational concept used by everyone from Led Zeppelin to Radiohead.

Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple and Rainbow was famously influenced by Renaissance and Baroque music, and Greensleeves-style melodic phrasing can be heard in his neoclassical approach to electric guitar solos.

The piece has been recorded on electric guitar by numerous players, from jazz arrangements using clean Stratocaster tones to heavy metal interpretations with full distortion. It adapts to virtually any genre, making it a great creative exercise.

Many guitarists use Greensleeves as a warm-up piece because its moderate tempo and flowing arpeggios gently stretch both hands while reinforcing good technique habits.

The harmonic minor scale (raising the 7th degree from G natural to G#) is often used in arrangements of this song, giving guitarists exposure to a scale that is essential in classical, flamenco, and neoclassical shred styles.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

The Classical Guitar Collection (Various Artists) 2000

Compilations of classical guitar recordings frequently feature expertly performed arrangements of Greensleeves that showcase fingerstyle technique at its finest. Listening to how different classical guitarists handle the melody, bass movement, and dynamics will inform your own interpretation and help you understand phrasing nuances that tabs alone cannot convey.

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A Renaissance Christmas (Julian Bream) 1976

Julian Bream's recordings of Renaissance-era music, including arrangements closely related to Greensleeves, are a masterclass in tone production, right-hand technique, and musical expression on nylon-string guitar. Studying his approach to dynamics and articulation will elevate your playing of this piece from competent to genuinely musical.

Spotify Apple Music

How to Practice What Child Is This? on GuitarZone

Every What Child Is This? song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Greensleeves - Guitar Lesson