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John Lennon - Happy XMAS - Guitar Lesson

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John Lennon - Happy XMAS - Guitar Lesson

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John Lennon - Happy XMAS guitar lesson video
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Happy XMAS

"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" is a 1971 Christmas single by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, featuring the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single Lennon released outside his work with the Beatles and carries a strong anti-war message wrapped in a festive arrangement. For electric guitar players, learning this song offers a great opportunity to explore open chord strumming, clean tone work, and the kind of understated rhythm playing that defines Lennon's solo style.

  • The song reached number four in the UK, though its release there was delayed until November 1972.
  • Following John Lennon's death in December 1980, the track re-entered the UK chart and peaked at number two.
  • The recording features the Harlem Community Choir, giving the song a layered dynamic that influences how guitarists should approach volume and space.
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

While Lennon favored the Epiphone Casino's P-90 character, the Stratocaster's bright single-coil snap influenced his jangly electric aesthetic. Its dynamic pickup response aligns with Lennon's preference for tone shaped by pick attack rather than gear complexity.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
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Gibson Les Paul Standard

The Les Paul's thick humbucker warmth contrasts Lennon's typical P-90 tone, but its sustain and body resonance appear on select solo recordings where he wanted fuller, rounder electric presence than his Casino provided.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Lennon occasionally used the Custom's dual humbuckers for denser, more compressed tones on studio tracks, trading his Casino's natural feedback character for a smoother, more controlled electric voice when arrangements demanded it.

Fender Twin Reverb
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Fender Twin Reverb

Lennon's primary studio amp, the Twin Reverb's clean headroom and natural spring reverb captured his preferred approach: clear, uncolored tube tone that lets P-90 dynamics and pick nuance shine without saturation or heavy effects.

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