Celtic/ British Isles Music For Finger Style GuitarPresented by Art EdelsteinA comprehensive listing of videos, books and software |
The Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar LibraryVideosThe Absolutely Best in Celtic Videos now available comes from Stefan Grossman's Vestapol Video series Its a two volume set "Ramble To Cashel" Vestapol 13029 and "The Blarney Pilgrim" Vestapol 13063. These are performance videos and on each you will see Martin Simpson, Pierre Bensusan, El McMeen, Duck Baker, Pat Kirtley, Steve Baughman and Tom Long. About as good as it gets (although several other great players like William Coulter, John Sherman, John Renbourn and David Surette) are not included. Each video comes with tab, a great way to learn how the players arrange their music. Rounder Records has produced the accompanying CDs of the two videos. Same titles as the videos. These are wonderful CDs. Al Pettewayhas two new videos on Homespun 1-800-33-tapes, titles are Celtic Instrumentals For Fingerstyle Guitar Videol 1 (DADGAD Tuning) and Video 2 Alternate Tunings Both come with printed arrangements. Al has a very soft spoken, easy delivery. If you are a fan of his, these are musts! I think the best way to learn Celtic guitar styles and various tunings is to see and hear a number of players live and on video. I got more out of one concert watching Tony McManus than I could ever get out of just listening to him, but that is not always possible. So, Al's videos, along with those of Martin Simpson, Pierre Bensusan, etc can give real insight into the techniques.
John Doyle Irish Rhythm GuitarHomespun videos.Now hold on there Art!!! What this??? Ok, its rhythm, its a flatpick, the guy even plays left-handed %$#, so why mention it? Well, I too play rhythm with a flatpick in bands, and sessions. John's guitar Kicks ass!!! (as some might say) and this is a fun video. This video is a definite for anyone who backs Irish music. John is the guitarist with Solas, and really propels the band's sound. John's rhythm and chordal senses (he plays in Dropped-D tuning) are very defined and mature. You really can learn some tricks from listening to John as he backs a great box player John Williams. I have just one problem with this video, Doyle is a lefty and watching him is confusing. I think the producer should have used a mirror set-up. That aside, if you want to be a powerful presence as a session or backing other players, this is the one and only video on the subject and its very good.
"Steve Baughman, Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Video" Artist Series, MB97259VX $19.95.
Holy Cow!! Is this guy a great player! I’ve been listening to Steve’s work for a year and he sounds wonderful on CD but to watch him is something else. Steve appears in the 45 minute video performing 12 tunes. It’s not a learning video per se but he does explain some of his techniques and tunings. But, just watch the man’s hands and you can learn loads. The sound is excellent also. You’ll also get to hear two beautiful Goodall guitars. I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how the man plays the way he does. "Robin Bullock Acoustic Guitar Artistry Video," Mel Bay Artist Series MB97258VX $19.95 55 minutes. Robin is a string multi-instrumentalist on guitar, cittern, mandolin, fiddle etc. On this video he includes 3 cittern pieces, which should get guitarists interested in this instrument. Again this is a performance video but Robin explains some technique and tunings and use of capos. His playing seems much more accessible than Baughman’s but he’s no slouch. Great sound. "Celtic Melodies & Open Tunings" Taught by John Renbourn Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop GW 908. Available from Mel Bay $49.95. If you ever wanted to have John Renbourn in your living room this is the way to have it happen. This is a learning video, that is John first plays the tunes, then explains them with a split screen. There’s also an accompanying booklet of the arrangements. Renbourn is so smooth a player that he takes his very complicated arrangements matter of factly. He encourages the listener to play along, NOT QUITE. But the real learning experience here is just watching the man in action. You DO learn lots by watching. So, is it worth $49.95?? But still, a really good addition to your library if you’ve go the moolah ($$$) Celtic Guitar Books A plug for a friend's book. Tim Brookes and exceptional writer and fellow Vermonter whom I also teach with at Champlain College in Burlington has had published Traditional Irish dance tunes set for guitar by Patrick Zeoli Traditional Irish Guitar by Paul de Grae
Ossian OMB 130 "DADGAD Tuning by Julie Henigan" MB95686BCD. "Steve Baughman Celtic Fignerstule Guitar Solos" MB97259BCD. "Irish Traditional Guitar Accompaniment by Gavin Ralston" MB98359WBCD. "Celtic Back-Up For All Instrumentalists"
By Chris Smith MB97205BCD Okay there is no fingerstyle material in this book but, it contains a very extensive discussion of Irish music and the modes that make the music distinctive. This book will help you arrange Celtic music for fingerstyle guitar because you'll be able to figure out the chords. Also, the accompanying CD contains over 30 minutes of fine fiddle-flute playing (with Grey Larsen on flute) and several really nice tunes. All are backed by guitar or bouzouki. This is the best book I know of for learning how to back up Celtic music. I frequently play at sessions and in performance as the rhythm player and Chris' book has already helped me with chordal ideas. A "must have" for any Celtic music library.
"Guitar Solos In Open & Altered Tunings" by Paul Lolax MB 96326BCD $17.95 There are 29 arrangements here and a nicely done CD (Paul plays a nylon strung guitar in a classical style.) What’s nice about this book is that most arrangements are tunes not often (or ever heard) including; Nell Flaherty’s Drake, Princess Royal, Gerald Dillon, Hugh Kelly and several others. Not all the tunes are in Open G but all are altered. The arrangements are accessible to most players with fingerstyle experience. I really like this book and can listen to the CD forever!!! "John Sherman So Inclined" MB96841BCD. John is an advanced player so these arrangements are sophisticated but a great learning device for DADGAD players. Good commentary about the tunes and stylistic considerations accompany each selection. There are 20 selections on the CD and 27 arrangements in all, a good buy at $19.95. "Midnight Howl" by Robin Bullock. MB96006. $11.95
Robin is a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, cittern, mandolin, fiddle etc.) and these are arrangements by his Maggie’s Music album of the same name. While it helps to have the album to listen to, you can work your way through the book easy enough.
Robin plays in several tunings from standard, to dropped-d and DADGAD. Some arrangements are for flatpicking a few are derived from his cittern playing (he’s a great player!) I’ve already learned "For Ireland I’d Not Tell Her Name" which is a DADGAD tune. There are excellent notes for each tune as well. This book is a good way to get inside this fine player’s thinking.
"Irish & Scottish Airs & Ballads for Acoustic Guitar" by Bill Brennan. MB95739BCD. Bill’s a busy guy. He’s also got a flatpicking book of similar content for MB. This book contains arrangements for 20 tunes many in DADGAD. Most are not very frequently covered such as; Matt Hyland, Flowers of the Forest, Curragh of Kildare. There’s some interestingly different material here. I’m not sure I agree with the way Bill arranges these tunes, but again, this gives the player insight into how to play and arrange. The accompanying CD is good as it goes, but Bill’s guitar is very "electric" sounding, which seems strange for an Acoustic book.
"Traditional Dance Tunes of the British Isles for Two Guitars" by Andrew Charlton. MB95738 $11.95. This book is for music readers only. No tablature!!! That said, if you can read music, there are lots of odd tunes here, 40 in all. This will really stretch your reading and playing especially if you can figure out how to play both parts at once! If you ever wanted to learn DADGAD but just couldn't figure out the chords
this book will get you there. Sarah, an American living in Dublin Ireland not
N.H., has penned a very helpful book. Her sections on modes and keys, chord
diagrams and tablature and tunes are clear and interesting. There are good
suggestions for the player backing up others in sessions. Sarah's tune section
while written by a finger picking guitarist also adapts easily to flatpicking.
You'll learn 25 tunes. Fingerpickers may want to embellish the arrangements a
bit. The book is nicely illustrated with Sarah's charcoal sketches. Its nice
to see a woman contributing to the Celtic Guitar world. I think Ossian books are
distributed in the US. Ossian Books The ISBN is 0 946005 93 1. Ossian Publications P.O. Box
84 Cork Ireland. Here's 99 pages of Irish and Scots melodies to flatpick to your heart's content.
Yes, sadly, another book for flatpickers. But, a good one none the less and its
written for the alternate-tune impaired player (standard tuning.) Dan has done a
nice job with his tune selection which features some of the less know melodies
like "The Coach Road To Sligo". This book should appeal to the player
just getting into Celtic music or just learning to flatpick melody. For us
finger style players here's a chance to take Dan's melody lines (in notes and
tab) and try to work out a fingerstyle arrangement. Dan is a cyberbuddy of mine
and can be reached at his
homepage. This book contains enough transcriptions in STANDARD TUNING to keep a guitarist busy for years. Glenn does a great job describing the music, Carolan, and the celtic harp. Also the type setting is very clean and clear a boon to readers. I like the fact that Glenn includes several of Carolan's less popular melodies including: Lady Athenry, Dr. John Hart, Katherine O'More and Madam Judge. This book is brand new from Centerstream Publishing, P.O. Box 5450 Fullerton CA 52935 and distributed by Hal Leonard. This book of transcriptions accompanies Franco's latest album, Irish Tunes published in Italy by Berben, Ancona, Italy. OK, its in Italian and most of us won't have a clue as to what's being written, but the music, 14 melodies from Turkeys in The Straw (sic) to Marrily Dance The Quaker, are great. Franco plays a lot in DADGAD capoed up two frets. This book/cd combo could be hard to find outside of Europe but is distributed in the US by Presser, he tells me. If you see this publication don't hesitate to buy it, a great learning aide. Ciao! Antipasto! This book with accompanying CD is a really good look at Thompson's style along with some nice arrangements. It cost $19.95 and is available from Homespun Music or Hal Leonard (HL00841083). This book is not for the faint of heart or of finger. Pierre is Mr. DADGAD and cuts the learner no slack. But its a great teaching aide and window into this guitar maestro's mind. Comes with a CD. Mel Bay 95669. $18.95 Transcriptions for Al's Maggie Music album of the same name. Mostly his own compositions but nice. MB95381, $8.95 Scottish Music for solo guitar arranged by John Feeley Vol one and two OMB 137-138 Irish Traditional Songs and Harp Tunes Arranged for Guitar by Bill Black. This book is distributed by Ossian USA. Again in music only/no tablature format. Black has taken 21 fairly common Irish tunes like Derry Air and Sheebeg Sheemore. They don't seem too difficult even for this poor reader. What does surprise me though, considering the many software programs now on the market, is why any guitar transcription book does not include tablature!! You can order this as the above from Ossian USA. More Transcription BooksFrom My December 1997 Article in Acoustic Guitar MagazineCeltic Guitar BooksA decade ago, if you wanted to play the music of Ireland, Scotland, or Wales--generally known as Celtic music--there wasn't much to choose from. Back then the best sources were books of fiddle tunes like O'Neill's Music of Ireland--great for fiddlers and whistle players but not much use to the guitarist, especially one who couldn't read music. These books contained melodies and no chords, and guitarists had to do a lot of arranging for their instrument. The other source of material was songbooks with lyrics, a melody line, and chord names. Guitar playing came late to Celtic music, which is strong on melody and ornamentation, with harmonic accompaniment taking a backseat. The guitar as a rhythmic force arrived in the early 1970s with the Bothy Band and Planxty. With the rediscovery in the early 1970s of the music of 18th-century Irish harper Turlough O'Carolan came an interest in playing fingerstyle arrangements of harp music on guitar. Today there is a boom in guitar-related books and videos for Celtic music, fed by the popularity of albums by guitarists El McMeen, David Surette, Martin Simpson, Jon Hicks, John Sherman, Dáithí Sproule, Zan McLeod, and others. Fingerstyle guitarists will find they have the best selection in the available Celtic guitar books. Many of the new books feature Carolan's music, which echoes traditional Irish and Baroque styles. His music is very melodic--interesting but not overly complicated--and it lends itself to both alternate and standard tunings. Four recent books rely heavily on Carolan's music with samplings of other Celtic melodies. They are written for the guitarist who plays in standard tuning. Turlough O'Carolan for Fingerstyle Guitar, by William Stevens; Celtic Harp Music of Carolan and Others for Solo Guitar, by Glenn Weiser; Celtic Music for Guitar, by Allan Alexander; and Music from the British Isles for Acoustic Guitar, by Jamey Bellizzi, are all good starting points. The authors are classically trained players, and their arrangements, written in both standard notation and tablature, reflect that style. However, steel-string guitarists can also use the books effectively in learning melodies and fingering techniques. Weiser's book is the most comprehensive of the four, presenting a variety of Carolan pieces and several other melodies from the Irish and Scots harp tradition. Bellizzi's and Alexander's books also contain a good number of Carolan pieces and more harp tradition melodies. Stevens' book has perhaps the easiest arrangements of all. Weiser's book, good as it is, has no accompanying cassette or CD, as the others do. Unless the player is familiar with the melodies and this style of guitar playing, it is important to hear the music. By far, the best book for fingerstyle guitarists wanting to learn
this style of music is Mel Bay's Complete Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Book.
This book is a compilation of several other previous Mel Bay books on the
subject, and it includes transcriptions by guitarists Stefan Grossman,
Duck Baker, El McMeen, and Davey Graham. This comprehensive,
244-page book is a bible of alternate tuning arrangements. It includes
transcriptions in The one drawback I found in the Mel Bay Book is in the style of tab it uses. It appears handwritten and is to my eyes somewhat confusing to read. I prefer tablature that is typeset according to standard fonts, which is the case in the other four books. That one point aside, this book should keep you busy for years. But take note, this is not a book for beginning players; the arrangements are taken from the playing of top guitarists. Some of the tunings and techniques described in the text might confound fingers unfamiliar to this style. Several guitarists who play Celtic guitar have turned out transcription books from their recorded albums. The best of the lot, I have found, is David Surette's Down the Brae. Surette hails from Maine and has not gotten the press he deserves, but his playing is smooth and soulful and he uses a variety of tunings in his fingerstyle arrangements. This book, which comes with a CD, will familiarize the player not only with Irish melodies, but also Breton melodies from northern France, another Celtic area. If you are a flatpicker, there is much less to choose from in guitar books for Celtic music. I found three of merit: The Incomplete Celtic Guitar, Fiddle Tunes and Irish Music for Guitar, and Irish, Scottish, and Border Melodies for Flatpicking Guitar. The Incomplete Celtic Guitar is perhaps the most useful because author Dan Mozell includes nearly 60 fairly well-known melodies. All the arrangements are written for standard-tuned guitar, and there is a very good discography to help locate recordings of the tunes. But there is no accompanying recording. The other two books include fairly easy transcriptions, with chord names, of popular Celtic melodies. You can also purchase these books with an accompanying cassette. Fiddle Tunes author Dan Gelo includes a useful section on technique and guitar accompaniment with his book, and the discography and bibliography recommend resources for further study and listening. BOOKS REVIEWEDCeltic Music for Guitar, 'ADG20' ADG, 15517 Cordary Ave., Lawndale, CA 90260; '800-748-5934 Book $15.95; book and CD $22.95. Music from the British Isles for Acoustic Guitar, Mel Bay 94742. Mel Bay, #4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069-0066; (800) 863-5229. $9.95; $18.95 with cassette. Irish, Scottish, and Border Melodies for Flatpicking Guitar, Mel Bay 95200. $9.95; $16.95 with cassette. Fiddle Tunes and Irish Music for Guitar, Mel Bay 94020. $9.95; $24.95 with CD. Turlough O'Carolan for Fingerstyle Guitar, Granger Granger, PO Box 26115, Shoreview, MN 55126; '1-800-575-4402. $16.95 with cassette tape. Mel Bay's Complete Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Book, Mel Bay 95217. $19.95; $29.95 with cassette; $34.95 with CD. Celtic Harp Music of Carolan and Others for Solo Guitar, Centerstream, Cat No. HL00000100, Centerstream, PO Box 5450, Fullerton, CA 52935; (714) 779-9390. $14.95 BOOK (no audio available) Software |