Irish Guitar

Page map :


  • Intro : How did I came to play Irish Guitar ?
  • Manual : "Accompaniment of irish music on the guitar"
  • Picking & Tabs Guitar tabs of irish tunes
  • Tips : Tips and advices to play Irish music on the guitar
  • Software : Tabs, scores and chords for stringed instruments
  • Links : Some cool sites for the guitar
  • French translation French translation (Last update : february, 08 2010)
Irish Guitar
Logo : Thierry Chabanis


Nouveau !
Irish Fingerpicking Guitar

Tabs book (+ scores) with DVD


Volume 1
Irish Fingerpicking Guitar
Volume 2

Irish Fingerpicking Guitar
Bilingual english / french + DVD More


New ! Fingerpicking guitar videosNew !


















Introduction


I've played the guitar since 1981 and I spend most of my time playing Irish traditional music. I quickly discovered a problem : Is there a way to have those particular "colors" without changing standard tuning ?

The reason is very simple : after having spent quite a lot of time to learn to play in standard tuning
(E - A - D - G - B - E),
to change the tuning nearly comes back to return 10 years backward : all fingerings are to learn again.

C’est moi ! I don't want to enter in a sterile polemic on the advantages compared of the different tunings, it just seems possible to me (and interesting) to be able to preserve the standard tuning insofar as it permits to make a multitude of things in all keys.

I begun therefore to play Irish music with standard tuning, after what it was more simple and more satisfying to try other tuning (DADGAD, DADGBE). You will find therefore on this page, advices, tabs, scores and chords diagramms for these three tunings. Enjoy.


Manual


That's why I wrote a manual about accompanying of Irish music on the guitar in standard tuning (EADGBE).

A little bit of theory, many tips et exercices, and some tunes to illustrate the explanations.

All tunes are given both in standard notation (scores) and in tablatures. Strumming and chord positions are very detailed.

The purpose of this book is to help a moderately competent guitarist, to become proficient in irish traditional music. 		Book's cover
Exemple 1 Exemple 2


Preview of two pages from my book...

The book includes about 120 pages. Here is the summary, in order to make you a more precise idea.

  • AVANT-PROPOS
    • STRUCTURE DES MORCEAUX
    • I. LES MESURES BINAIRES
      • 1°) Les reels
      • 2°) Les hornpipes
      • 3°) Les polkas
    • II. LES MESURES TERNAIRES
      • 1°) Les double jigs
      • 2°) Les slip jigs
      • 3°) Les single jigs (slides)
  • UN PEU DE THEORIE...
    • I. LES GAMMES
      • 1°) Généralités sur les gammes diatoniques
      • 2°) La gamme majeure
      • 3°) Les gammes mineures
        • a) La gamme mineure naturelle
        • b) La gamme mineure harmonique
        • c) La gamme mineure mélodique
    • II. LES MODES
    • III. LES ACCORDS
      • 1°) Généralités sur les accords
      • 2°) Les accords sans tierce
      • 3°) Les renversements d'accords
      • 4°) Les substitutions d'accords
        • a) Généralités
        • b) Le chiffrage romain
        • c) Les embellissements
        • d) Changements et insertions d'accords
        • e) Choix des accords et de leurs substitutions dans l'harmonisation d'une mélodie
      • 5°) Voicing des accords
    • IV. MODES ET ACCORDS
      • 1°) Les modes majeurs
        • a) Les accords du Ré ionien
        • b) Les accords du Ré mixolydien
        • c) Les accords du Sol ionien
        • d) Les accords du La mixolydien
      • 2°) Les modes mineurs
        • a) Les accords du Mi aéolien
        • b) Les accords du Mi dorien
        • c) Les accords du Si aéolien
        • d) Les accords du La dorien
  • LES COUPS DE MEDIATOR
    • I. LES REELS ET LE MESURES BINAIRES
    • II. LES JIGS ET LES MESURES TERNAIRES
  • ECHAUFFEMENT ET MUSCULATION DES MAINS
  • QUELQUES PLANS
    • I. LA PRINCIPALE POSITION MAJEURE : RE
    • II. LA PRINCIPALE POSITION MINEURE : MI
    • III. TABLEAU DE TRANSPOSITION DES ACCORDS
  • APPLICATION
    • GRILLE ET ANALYSE : THE SILVER SPEAR (REEL EN RE MAJEUR)
      • Tablature et partition de Silver spear
    • GRILLE ET ANALYSE : JOE COOLEY'S REEL (REEL EN MI DORIEN)
      • Tablature et partition de Joe Cooley's
    • GRILLE ET ANALYSE : GREEN FIELDS OF ROSSBEIGH (REEL EN MI DORIEN)
      • Partition et tablature de Green fields of Rossbeigh
    • GRILLE ET ANALYSE : SPORTING PADDY (REEL EN LA DORIEN)
      • Partition et tablature de Sporting Paddy
    • GRILLE ET ANALYSE : LADS OF LAOIS (REEL EN MI DORIEN)
      • Partition et tablature de Lads of Laois
    • GRILLE ET ANALYSE : THE LARK IN THE MORNING (DOUBLE JIG EN RE MAJEUR)
      • Tablature et partition de Lark in the morning
  • PARTITIONS ET TABLATURES ANNEXES
    • Partition et tablature du thème de Felix Kearney's
    • Tablature de l’accompagnement de Felix Kearney's
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Major Harrisons Fedora
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Star of Munster
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Out on the ocean
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Chase her through the garden
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Off to California
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Lady Anne
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Golden keyboard
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Cottage in the groove
    • Partition, tablature et accords de Drunken landlady
  • PETIT LEXIQUE
  • DISCOGRAPHIE SELECTIVE
  • BIBLIOGRAPHIE SELECTIVE
  • SOMMAIRE
  • QU’EST-CE QU'ON DIT ?



If you are interested, mail me by clicking here  !

Mail me


At least 4 other methods exist on the Irish guitar :

* The first is written by the guitarist Sarah McQuaid. The title "Irish DADGAD Guitar book" clearly explain that the work is destined to those that want to explore the tuning of D sus4. However, numerous observations will remain valid in any tunings. It is a good book, even though it is necessary to specify that work is centered more on flat picking interpretation that on the principles of accompaniment (one finds some advices and some chords positions). A point to underline especially : the excellent resonance use of non fingered strings. Audiotape and videotape are also availables. Book in English.

Ossian Publications Ltd. 		Ossian
* The second is written by Paul de Grae. The book is titled "Irish traditional Guitar" and studies several tunings (DADGAD, DADGBE and especially DADEAE baptized "Irish tuning" by the author). The book is relatively complete and homogeneous. Tunes are studied and the accompaniment is also landed. A very good work with an abundant documentation. Audio tape and CD are also available. Book in English.

Ossian Publications Ltd. 		Ossian
* The third is written by Gavin RALSTON and titled "Irish traditional guitar accompaniment". A big number of pieces (27) and few commentaries. However, one finds interesting rhythmic diagrams there, and a processed of the evolution of the accompaniment of an air according to the reader's progress. The utilized tuning here is the Dropped D (DADGBE). It is published since 1998 by Walton Manufacturing. ISBN 1-857200780. The method is also available at Mel Bay. Available audio tape. Book in English.

Mel Bay Publications 		Irish Traditional Guitar Accompaniment
The fourth work is from Chris Smith . It is titled "Celtic back-up for all instrumentalists". Very complete at a theoretical level, it is an excellent method that presents the particularity to address to all instruments accompanists. At the beginning, one can be disorientated a little because of total absence of chords diagrams and tabs, but this system obliges the author to search for the fundamental principles of accompaniment, arrangement and even learning of Irish tunes. Score reading needed.
The book is available at Mel Bay, or better, by Chris Smith himself. Language : English, CD available.

Chris Smith 		Celtic back-up for all instrumentalists

It's probably possible to find other books on the topic, but I can only speak of those of which I have !

Consult the category "News" of this site for possible new releases.



Picking & tabs



Inspired by listening to Tony McManus, I decided to try other tunings, trying to adapt of Irish music to finger-picking style.

A real pain !

For the fast airs, the melody is going to monopolize the energy and the guitarist's attention, only letting few possibilities for the choice of the bass. Of this fact, it seems often preferable to use DADGAD tuning (or at least DADGBE) in order to simplify the work of the left hand.

How to download ?

This page permits you to download tabs and scores in various formats. If you don't know how to reach a tune, just read this description.

To find a software that correspond to a file format, click here

  • TablEdit TablEdit's file (.tef) The most compete format. With this shareware, you can listen the tunes, see and print the tab, the score and the chords proression grid. All my tabs are made with this soft.
    To save a TablEdit's file on your hard drive, click on the icon with the right mouse button, then click on "Save target as..."

  • JPG picture JPG picture (.jpg) JPG and GIF are two picture's format. So you can get tabs and scores as graphic files and read them on your Mac or PC, by loading the pictures with a graphic software. An inconvenience exists: one cannot listen...
    To see the tab, click on the icon (one icon for each page) with the left mouse button. To save pictures on your hard drive, click with the right mouse button, then click on "Save target as..."

  • Midi file Midi file (.mid) A midi file can be hear with many music softwares. Some of them can also show and edit the score. A little number of them can make a transposition in tab. TablEdit is the best of them...
    Click on the icon with the left mouse button to listen to the music. To save the midi file on your hard drive, click with the right mouse button, then click on "Save target as..."

  • Abc file Abc file (.abc) Abc is a language designed to notate tunes in text format(ASCII). Advantage : very small files. Disadvantage : no tab mode, no real polyphony. Only flatpicking tunes are available in this format.
    To save ABC file on your hard drive, click on the icon with the right mouse button, then click on "Save target as..."

  • MP3 file MP3 files (.mp3) MP3 format is an audio file, but smaller than a wav file. It's impossible to transpose an MP3 file in score or tab.
    To save an MP3 file on your hard drive, click on the icon with the right mouse button, then click on "Save target as..."

  • Wmv Files Windows media video files(.wmv) Video file with a good sound quality.
    To save an wmv file on your hard drive, click on the icon with the right mouse button, then click on "Save target as..."


TITLES Composers Arrangers Instruments Difficulty Formats
Colifot Jean Banwarth Jean Banwarth DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Colifot's TablEdit file
The curlew Joséphine Keegan Jean Banwarth GDAE Bouzouki GDAE Bouzouki DifficultyDifficulty The Curlew's jpg picture The Curlew's TablEdit file The Curlew's midi file
Sean Smith Trad. Jean Banwarth DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficultyDifficulty Page 1 of Sean Smith's jpg picture Page 2 of Sean Smith's jpg picture Sean Smith's TablEdit file Sean Smith's midi file
Snowy path Mark Kelly Tony McManus DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty The Snowy path's jpg picture The Snowy path's TablEdit file The Snowy path's midi file
The sunset Cathal McConnel Tony McManus DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Page 1 of The Sunset's jpg picture Page 2 of The Sunset's jpg picture The Sunset's TablEdit file The Sunset's midi file
Paddy Taylor's Trad. Tony McManus DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Page 1 of Paddy Taylor's jpg picture Page 2 of Paddy Taylor's jpg picture Page 3 of Paddy Taylor's jpg picture Paddy Taylor's TablEdit file Paddy Taylor's midi file
Jackie Coleman's Trad. Tony McManus DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficultyDifficulty Jackie Coleman's jpg picture Jackie Coleman's TablEdit's file Jackie Coleman's midi file
Humours of Tulla Trad. Tony McManus DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty The Humours of Tulla's jpg picture The Humours of Tulla's TablEdit file The Humours of Tulla's midi file
Far away Trad. Jean Banwarth DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Far away's jpg picture Far away's TablEdit file Far away's midi file
Charlie Hunter's Trad. Tony McManus DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Charlie Hunter's jpg picture Charlie Hunter's TablEdit file Charlie Hunter's midi file
L'Emile et une nuit Trad. Jean Banwarth DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty L'Emile et une nuit's jpg picture L'Emile et une nuit's TablEdit file L'Emile et une nuit's midi file
Les ridées du printemps Soïg Sibéril Soïg Sibéril DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Les ridées du printemps's jpg picture Les ridées du printemps's TablEdit file Les ridées du printemps's midi file
A trip to Flagstaff Soïg Sibéril Soïg Sibéril DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Page 1 of A trip to Flagstaff's jpg picture Page 2 of A trip to Flagstaff's jpg picture A trip to Flagstaff's TablEdit file A trip to Flagstaff's midi file
Man in the brown hat ? Jean Banwarth GDAE Bouzouki GDAE Bouzouki Difficulty Man with a brown hat's jpg picture Man with a brown hat's TablEdit file Man with a brown hat's midi file
Silvestig Trad. Jean Banwarth (from Tri Yann) EADGBE Guitar EADGBE Guitar Difficulty Silvestig's jpg picture Silvestig's TablEdit file Silvestig's midi file
La galerie pourrite Gervais Lessard Jean Banwarth GDAE Bouzouki GDAE Bouzouki Difficulty La galerie pourrite's jpg picture La galerie pourrite's TablEdit file La galerie pourrite's midi file
Teelin highland Trad. Jean Banwarth EADGBE Guitar EADGBE Guitar Difficulty Teelin highland's jpg picture Teelin highland's TablEdit file Teelin highland's midi file
Merrily kissed the quaker Trad. Jean Banwarth (from Pierre Bensusan) 2 DADGAD Guitars 2 DADGAD Guitars DifficultyDifficulty Page 1 fo Merrily kissed the quaker's jpg picture Page 2 of Merrily kissed the quaker's jpg picture Page 3 of Merrily kissed the quaker's jpg picture Merrily kissed the quaker's TablEdit file Merrily kissed the quaker's midi file
Blue Room Raquel Gigot Jean Banwarth (from Orion) EADGBE Guitar EADGBE Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Blue Room gif picture Blue Room TablEdit file Blue Room midi file




Some students come to my courses during the year, and during the master class of Mydriase(usually at the end of august).


Tips and advices


In this category, you will find technical or stylistic advices on the use of guitar in Irish music : finger picking or flat picking work, solo or accompaniment and different tuning use...


Consult the Bouzouki section of this site: a comparable category should provide you easily transposable runs





Playing a tune in flat picking style

To play a theme on guitar is not an easy thing. The standard tuning is very usable but it is not made to play fast pieces in tonalities that are those of the Irish traditional music. Here are some remarks and advices therefore to solve these difficulties.


Speed

The first advice, can be the most important, is to work airs slowly. A piece that is not perfectly mastered at a slow speed will be even less at a fast tempo. This advice can seem basic, but it is very often neglected because we always have the impression that the piece sounds better when it is played quickly. That's only an impression...

Speed and feeling

After the stage of the training of a piece, the problem of the speed puts itself again about the energy of the piece. It seems damaging to me to confound these two notions. The energy is not directly linked with the speed but rather with the phrasing of the interpretation. If this phrasing is good, one will have this famous forcible impression even while keeping a reasonable tempo. Besides this will preserve the particular swing of the dance tunes of Irish music.

To get the good phrasing asks for a particular work at the time of the training of the piece. The guitarist should choose intelligent fingerings, that is to say of the sequences of movements that respect a certain number of rules :
  • 1°) Tied notes
    The idea is to respect the accentuations of the dance airs, while using effects permitting to bind the strong times and the weak times. One will use hammers, pullings, slides and bends therefore. These effects can bring to make the fingerings hardier for the left hand...


  • 2°) Non fretted strings
    One will search for as much that possible non fretted strings to provide the longer resonances, that add some overtones therefore and provoke droning effects. It is especially substantial since Irish traditional music is often compositions for the pipes, that develops a theme on a constant note (drone) of D. This rule sometimes enters in conflict with the first (tied notes). The bends and slides are very difficult on non fretted strings, pullings are impossible and only hammers are very playable. It will be necessary to choose therefore according to the context (what is played before the passage in question and what will be played after) and according to the atmosphere that one wishes to give the tune.


  • 3°) Difficulty
    Don't forget that the whole must be playable ! The choice of the fingerings is a way of compromise, that won't be able to be the same of a guitarist the other. Each has a certain technical capital, a certain morphology, that will sometimes dictate him the choices that would not be adapted of others, indeed.



The example below (Joe Cooley's reel) show how it's possible to interpret a same air of several ways :

JPG picture file
Size : 36 ko 		TablEdit file
Size : 5 ko 		Midi file
Taille : 4 ko
Download Joe Cooley's (gif picture) Download Joe Cooley's (TablEdit's file) Download Joe Cooley's (midi file)

If you have problems to see or to download, click Here

Don't forget that these fingerings are only propositions, and that numerous variations are possible. If you want to study this tune in its entirety, you can also download the corresponding tab (TablEdit's format). This one will propose you also some ideas of accompaniment

JPG picture files TablEdit file
Size : 5 ko 		Midi file
Size : 10 ko
Page 1 : 33 ko Download Joe Cooley's reel (gif picture of page 1) Download Joe Cooley's reel (gif picture of page 2) Page 2 : 30 ko Download Joe Cooley's reel (Tabledit's file) Download Joe Cooley's reel (midi file)

If you have problems to see or to download, click Here


This idea is exposed below by another example in DADGAD tuning. The first picture shows a definitive version of the reel "Pigeon one the gate". The second exposes the first part of the reel using especially non fretted strings, then the same thing but with fingerings privileging tied notes...

JPG picture files TablEdit file
Size : 3 ko 		Midi file
Size : 6 ko
Page 1 : 35 ko Download Pigeon on the gate (gif picture of page 1) Download Pigeon on the gate (gif picture of page 2) Page 2 : 30 ko Download Pigeon on the gate (TablEdit's file) Download Pigeon on the gate (midi file)

If you have problems to see or to download, click Here


Two exercises where scales are played while combining tied notes and non fretted strings (standard tuning, rythm of double jig)

JPG picture file
Size : 41 ko 		TablEdit file
Size : 3 ko 		Midi file
Size : 2 ko
Download this exercice (gif picture) Download this exercice (TablEdit's file) Download this exercice (midi file)

If you have problems to see or to download, click Here


You can download a shareware version of TablEdit at this address :

http://www.tabledit.com/

TablEdit



Do you wonder what maybe the result of these techniques ? Among the various available formats below, you will find two small audio files (MP3 format) that will give you a small preview. The recording is not the highest quality, but the size of the files is reasonable (about 158 and 111 Ko in zip format).

TITLES Composers Arrangers Instruments Difficulty Formats
Jessie over the bridge Trad. Jean Banwarth DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty Jessie over the bridge's GIF picture Jessie over the bridge's TablEdit file Jessie over the bridge's midi file Jessie over the bridge's abc file Jessie over the bridge's MP3 file
The Connaughtman's rambles Trad. Jean Banwarth DADGAD Guitar DADGAD Guitar DifficultyDifficulty The Connaughtman's rambles GIF picture The Connaughtman's rambles TablEdit file The Connaughtman's rambles midi file The Connaughtman's rambles abc file The Connaughtman's rambles MP3 file


If you don't have a player to read MP3 format, you can download " Winamp " while clicking below. It is a very good soft that permits to read many musical formats. And it's freeware !!!

Winamp

Enjoy !

This chapter is in construction. You should be able to find other information in a near future (tunes in flat picking, finger picking and accompaniment). if you like irish music and guitar (standard tuning, DADGAD or DADGBE), come back from time to time...



Software


For this work, I needed a good tab software. I have found the best :

TablEdit
Click on this bouton to go to TablEdit's page.

This is a fabulous PC shareware. Almost everything you could want is available !

Define number of strings (from 3 to 12) and choose your tuning
Create and print chord dictionaries
Create and print chord progressions
Up to 9 tracks
Import and export Midi, ABC, ASCII.
and much more...

You can download a shareware version of the software at this address : http://www.tabledit.com/

You will be able to listen without any restriction to over 2000 tabs downloaded from TablEdit's page. Limitations are on printing (the software will print "Demo version" on your tab) and saving (only 16 bars can be saved in one file).

Clean installation (no polluting .dll), and minimal place on the hard disk (about 500 ko)

The tunes and exercices from my book are available in TablEdit's format. Just mail me



Links



* For guitar links, take a look at "Harmony central" (English) Harmony central
* For tabs, try Olga's search engine (English) Olga
* Celtic guitar. Introduction to greats guitarists (English) Celtic guitar
* Glenn Weiser's Homepage : Tabs of Irish tunes available. A great site (English) Glenn Weiser
* Arbuckle's Celtic Tunes for Guitar : A great site with irish tunes tabs and many links. Arbuckle's Celtic Tunes for Guitar
* Tabs and many other things on Steve McWilliam's page (English) Steve McWilliam's
* La guitare folk baroque : A french site with very good tabs. La guitare folk baroque
* DADGAD : Lionel GUEGANTON's Homepage. A very good site on DADGAD (rather flat picking oriented). Many tips and tabs. In french or english. DADGAD Lionel Gueganton
* Acouceltic : Scores, tabs, links, and every thing you need ! You will find DADGAD and ORKNEY (CGDGCD) chords diagrams. Acouceltic
* Tony McManus : Introduction to this amazing guitar player. Tony McManus
* Franco Morone : A very good italian guitar player. He is the author of very beautiful Irish music arrangements. Franco Morone
* Zan McLeod : A must known guitar and bouzouki player. Zan McLeod
* DADGAD precursor. One of its thinnest users. Pierre Bensusan is also distributor for Elixir strings in France. Pierre Bensusan
* Dan Ar Braz : No need to introduce him... Dan Ar Braz
* Michel Dalle Ave's homepage : Michel is a fine guitar player and he is very important on the net. His homepage is full of informations, tabs, links and other things (French and English) Michel Dalle Ave
* Paul Kucharski's page will give you lots of information, tabs and links (English) Paul Kucharski
* Many links and a very good search engine at Guitar notes (English) Guitar notes
* Over 1000 great guitar sites (English) 1000 great guitar sites
* Lowdens guitars : the perfect sound for irish music Lowden
* Capo is nearly an indispensable accessory... under the condition to be reliable ! Kysers capos are probably the best : Kyser
* Use this banner to link your page with "Banwarth sur le ouaib" Banwarth on the ouaib. Irish guitar and bouzouki

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