Holiday Tune in E Minor

Here’s an intermediate lesson on how to play a Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky. You can kind of hear some klezmer in this melody.

I arranged it so that it has more of a fiddle tune form.


Learning chunks 


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Preparation

Warm up with the E Dorian scale:

E Dorian: D1-2-3-A0-1-2-3-E0



Also warm up with the Chromatic Scale on A and E strings:

A0-L1-1-L2-2-3-H3-4

E0-L1-1-L2-2-3-H3-4

 

A part, first quarter

First quarter: EL2-0-L2-1 | AH3-4-3-3-3 | A2-2-2-L2-L2-L2 | A1-E0-AL2-E0-A1

Note: You can replace A4 with E0 or AH3 with AL4 if it works better for you.

A part, second quarter

Second quarter: D3-1-3-2 | AL2-1-EL2-L2-L2 | E1-1-1-0-0-0 | AH3-E1-0-1-AH3

A part, third quarter

Same as the first quarter of the A part.

 

 

A part, fourth quarter

Fourth quarter, 1st end: A4-2-4-AH3 | A3-1-3-2 | AL2-0-L2-1 | AH3-E1-E4-0

Alternative E0-A2-E0-AH3 | A3-1-3-2 | AL2-0-L2-1 | AH3-E1-E4-0

B part, first quarter

First quarter: (A1-1) 2-2-H3-H3-E0-0-1-1 | EL2-L2-0-0-AH3

 

B part, second quarter

Second quarter: (A1-1) 2-2-H3-H3-E0-0-1-1 | EL2-L2-0-0-4

 

B part, third quarter

Similar to the first quarter of the B part.

Third quarter: (A1-1-1-1)-2-2-2-2-H3-H3-H3-H3-E0-E0-E0-E0-E1-E1-E1-E1 | EL2-L2-L2-L2-0-0-0-0-AH3

 

B part, fourth quarter

Similar to the fourth quarter of the B part.

Fourth quarter, 1st end: (A1-1-1-1)-2-2-2-2-H3-H3-H3-H3-E0-E0-E0-E0-E1-E1-E1-E1 | EL2-L2-L2-L2-0-0-0-0-E4

Full Content

Full play-along track


Full Tabs

Note: You can replace A4 with E0 or AH3 with AL4 if it works better for you.

A part 

First quarter: EL2-0-L2-1 | AH3-4-3-3-3 | A2-2-2-L2-L2-L2 | A1-E0-AL2-E0-A1

Second quarter: D3-1-3-2 | AL2-1-EL2-L2-L2 | E1-1-1-0-0-0 | AH3-E1-0-1-AH3

Third quarter: EL2-0-L2-1 | AH3-4-3-3-3 | A2-2-2-L2-L2-L2 | A1-E0-AL2-E0-A1

Fourth quarter, 1st end: A4-2-4-AH3 | A3-1-3-2 | AL2-0-L2-1 | AH3-E1-E4-0

B part 

First quarter: (A1-1) 2-2-H3-H3-E0-0-1-1 | EL2-L2-0-0-AH3

Second quarter: (A1-1) 2-2-H3-H3-E0-0-1-1 | EL2-L2-0-0-4

Third quarter: (A1-1-1-1)-2-2-2-2-H3-H3-H3-H3-E0-E0-E0-E0-E1-E1-E1-E1 | EL2-L2-L2-L2-0-0-0-0-AH3

Fourth quarter, 1st end: (A1-1-1-1)-2-2-2-2-H3-H3-H3-H3-E0-E0-E0-E0-E1-E1-E1-E1 | EL2-L2-L2-L2-0-0-0-0-E4


Full Sheet Music

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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