Help with Celtic Melody

[TaylorDee7]

Hey all,

I would call myself an untrained good guitarist. I have no formal training, just what I've learned by ear and figuring it out on my own. Most lead I play is blues type stuff but I want to get into other things. I did take a music theory course at school that helped with understanding modes, chord structure, keys, scales, etc. I was just wondering, I love the style of Celtic music but don't know where to begin as far as learning to play it. i.e. phrases, scales, and scale shapes. Could someone point me in the direction of what modes Celtic music mostly uses or give me an idea of scale shapes used in the melodies? Or maybe some common phrases? Just to get me started... thanks for any help.

-Andy

[cpmusic]

There are so many sources for recorded Celtic music that it's almost impossible to catalog them, but early Chieftans recordings will give you as a good a foundation as you'll find anywhere. Two excellent recent recordings I just picked up are Liz Carroll's Lake Effects and John Doyle's solo CD. Doyle plays rhythm guitar for Liz and is a whiz at this style.

I don't keep up with fingerstyle Celtic as much, but you can hear some good music from Tony McManus, Pat Kirtley and others.

The most common Celtic tunes are dance tunes, which are short pieces of one to six parts (most commonly two), with each part played twice and then played again. These include reels and hornpipes (4/4 time, actually played as cut time), jigs (6/8), slip jigs (9/8), and polkas (2/4). Usually, session players will play a given tune 3-4 times tops and then switch off to another, unlike Old Time folks who will play the same tune a dozen times or more.

There are also slow airs that are intended as listening pieces, and usually stand alone. Many have had lyrics added over the years.

The most common modes are major (I forget the official name), Mixolydian, and Dorian.

For general reference, many people have posted basic tunes on the web in sheet music and/or midi form. These tunes don't necessarily come across in proper style, and are more like a basic framework. My site is www.cpmusic.com -- click on "Traditional Music" for the list. I've noted the key and mode for each, and indicated which are the most common ones in So Cal. The The Kitchen Musician also has a lot of tunes, and both of our sites have links to others.

The "bibles" for Irish tunes include O'Neill's Music of Ireland and The Roche Collection, both of which are still in print but may take a bit of work to find. Elderly probably has them.

I'm working off the cuff, here. I hope this helps, but please ask if you have more questions.

[Plexiprs]

Try these;

One
Two
Three (More then just Celtic)