Hard Candy Christmas - Guitar Tutorial - Zach Top

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Want to learn how to play “Hard Candy Christmas” as performed by Zach Top? This acoustic guitar tutorial walks you through all the chords, strumming patterns, and lyrics to help you play and sing along with confidence.

While the song was originally made famous by Dolly Parton, this lesson focuses on the Zach Top version, giving it that modern country twist while keeping the warm, classic feel of the Christmas original.

In this video, I’ll break it down step by step so players of all levels — beginner, intermediate, or advanced — can jump right in and start playing.

Song Details

• CAPO: None

• CHORDS: G, C, D, Am, E, Bm

• STRUMMING: DUDUDUDU

This arrangement uses a clean and steady down-up strumming pattern that keeps the rhythm smooth and flowing. With a mix of major and minor chords, it creates that bittersweet, nostalgic Christmas sound the song is known for.

Throughout the lesson, I sing the lyrics while playing to help you stay on tempo and follow the chord transitions naturally.

🎸 Watch the full guitar tutorial here:

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If you enjoyed learning this song, check out more Christmas Guitar Tutorials Here!

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