Here is a list of eleven chords a beginner can play with and try out with some melody players:The general character of the chords (e.g. Strum all the strings.Strum the 6th, 5th, and 4th string and play the fret 2, 4, and 5 on the A string followed by the fret 4, 2, and open string on the 6th string.You can then repeat the same Bm7, A, and finish the music on the G chord.Beautiful and simple melody in DADGAD tuning. It’s a bit of a sweeping generalization, but chords that are “open” (not explicitly major or minor) and that have sixths and ninths and other more complex tone clusters have found favor and, at this remove, become part of the “style” of presenting Celtic music. Trailer Park Boys tabs However, numerous observations will remain valid in any tunings. We are going to play a melody on the 4th string.The melody is played on the fret 12, 11, 9 and 7, then fret 5, 7, and 4. An Paistin Fionn tab. 1 A website about backing traditional irish music tunes on the guitar, using DADGAD tuning.

For example, the guitar would play a grace note as shown in the first measure below, and a fiddler’s roll can be executed as shown in the second measure:Listening to what other instruments do to Celtic melodies, as well as reading the sheet music for them where possible, is a great way to spice up your own guitar arrangements. 2 You can do so by playing the low E string in “D,” keep the 5th, 4th, and 3rd string the same with A, D, and G, then change the B string down to an “A” and the top E string down to a “D.” There you have it guys. I actually started with an article from guitar player called “DADGAD for dummies” which I really recommend you read.The chord progression we are learning today is in B minor key, and it is mainly played with open chords. Most guitarists employ modal tunings to capture the flavor of this music-- I use the D-A-D-G-A-D tuning, one of the more common, which I'll be describing my own approach to on this page.Obviously, this is a subject that would be beyond the scope of your average Web page to address comprehensively. 5 Check back soon for more about chord circles...A page each is devoted to chords at the nut and at 4 other capo positions up the neck. In the example below (the A part of  “Have a Drink on Me”), the guitar uses grace notes to emulate the “swing” a fiddler might employ in a jig: (capo 5th fret)The works of the Irish harper and composer Turlough O’ Carolan have been among the most widely arranged and recorded by Celtic fingerstyle guitarists over the past several decades. As with most of the alternate tunings, DADGAD requires medium gauge strings. If you play some of these chords, you’ll notice that some of them contain the sixth and ninth tone clusters I mentioned earlier.At this point there are many Celtic guitar related sites on the Web, many of them sites maintained by accomplished professional musicians.

This English language portion of his website has some interesting historical information and useful links to contemporary players. This allows the guitar to settle into the new string tension and even out the tone. Rather than try to keep up with them all, I will stick with referring you to one that, over the years, has provided a very good introduction to and overview of the state and history of the art. You can do the same with the A major chord, this time through the bass note is on the 5h string. If you know D major and D minor scales/chords, you can play in any key (see table above, PDF download). Sometimes this can take an exquisitely simple turn—a tune I often use to introduce beginning fingerstyle players to Celtic music is the Irish waltz “South Wind”.

In the example above, I play a fast triplet in the first measure by rapid alternate plucking of the 5th and 4th strings with the thumb and forefinger.