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有些朋友对Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar很好奇，我这正好有份英文资料，希望大家能从中学到些东西
Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar
Pat's Guitar Page
Celtic Music for Fingerstyle Guitar
copyright 1993, 1996 by Pat Kirtley
The playing of Celtic music, the folk and traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany, on acoustic fingerstyle guitar is a relatively recent development. The music is very old, some of it dating from the 14th century and earlier, but has not been widely played on fingerstyle guitar until the 20th century. The primary instruments involved in this music have been the harp, fiddle, flutes, whistles, button accordian, and various bagpipes (highland pipe, uillean pipes, small pipes), as well as various drum and percussion instruments. Accordingly, the sound of this music is highly flavored with the nuances of these instruments, and a challenge of playing the music on solo guitar is to retain that feel. A few performers have been more successful than others in translating this music to guitar, notably Duck Baker, Davey Graham, Martin Carthy, Dave Evans, John Renbourn, and Pierre Bensusan. With regard to the proliferation of Celtic music for guitar in the USA, no discussion would be complete without mentioning Stefan Grossman. He has been most important as a motivator in bringing the work of contemporary Celtic-style guitar artists to the attention of audiences worldwide through recordings, tablature books, and taped lessons. His involvement with Kicking Mule, Shanachie Records, and Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop continues to bring new work by excellent guitarists to our attention.
A Very Brief History
The traditional music of Ireland and Scotland is old, and much has been written about it in books that are more about music history than music. Some of these books are listed in the references at the end of this article. Of particular interest to we guitar players is the general development of the music, and the instruments it upon which it was developed. It appears that Irish traditional music, for instance, went for quite a long time (prior to about 30 years ago) without much change. We won't go into the concepts of why this lack of change (similar to the lack of change in Scots-Irish folk songs in the Appalachian mountains in the 17th and 18th centuries here) occurred, but the benefit is that current musicians have the opportunity, through recordings and musicians taught by traditionalists, to bring the guitar firmly into the tradition.
Where did the tradition originate? If you listen to arabic and middle-eastern music, you can hear many characteristics in common with traditional Irish and Scottish music. Particularly, in both musical traditions there is an emphasis on melody and rhythm. The complexity of both styles of music (in those areas where the music is complex) is melodic and rhythmic. Rarely do you find emphasis of the more western concepts of harmony and counterpoint. This is where the uniqueness (and the challenge) lies. As solo guitarists, we don't have a standard method to create the kind of percussive rhythm that underlies jigs and reels, nor have we (most of us!) developed the subtle melodic voicings and ornamentation of, say, the Irish fiddle tradition. If we apply the normally expected guitar-arranger treatment to this music, piling on chords, alternating bass, and harmony, we are headed in the wrong direction. To begin to understand what to do, it is absolutely essential to listen to the traditional players (not guitar players) and bands. Flatpicking guitarists can make an approach to the styles of the lead instruments (fiddle, pipes, flutes and whistles), while the adventurous fingerstylist can attempt to emulate the whole Irish band! To keep the tradition alive, always keep the tradition in mind when you arrange and perform the music.
Form
It is necessary to have an understanding of the form of Celtic tunes to begin to learn to play them. Even if you are not a player, understanding the form will increase your enjoyment of the music. In our familiar pop and country music, we have forms defined by the terms Verse, Chorus, and Bridge. Almost all popular music is structured in this way. A typical tune might have the form Verse, Verse, Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Chorus. In Celtic music, the parts, or sections, are simply described by letters of the alphabet, i.e., A part, B part, etc. A typical Irish or Scottish tune might have the form AABB or ABAB. The AABB form is very common in jigs and reels. Sometimes the tunes may have a C, D or E section. If you can find a local group playing Irish or Scottish music and hang around them awhile, you will hear this description of form used often. Sometimes the sections are strikingly different, as we would have in the pop music "verse - chorus", but in some tunes the differences between sections are subtle, almost as if the sections were simply variations on a theme. The music becomes easier to comprehend after you can mentally attach these simple letter designations to the changes you are hearing. Also, most traditional Appalachian fiddle tunes and Bluegrass tunes are structured this way.
Another concept often used is to combine tunes in sets. In Irish music, a set is two or more tunes grouped together and played as one. The origin of the set concept is probably from the tradition of dance. Many of the celtic tunes are dance tunes, and they are also very short. The way to let the dancers keep dancing is to keep playing. Since the tunes are so short, a set of three tunes is still only about 4 or 5 minutes. The choice of tunes to combine in sets is made, sometimes, for contrast, and sometimes for similarity of tempo. One of the areas of creativity for groups and individual performers is to find tunes that work together well in sets.
Types of Tunes
There are many distinct types of tunes, mostly from the Irish and Scottish traditions. It's helpful to learn their names and characteristics. The types of tunes are distinguishable by their underlying rhythmic accents, tempo, and structure. There are many types and they have descriptive names. The only way to learn these types is to listen (a lot!), but we can start by describing them in words.
1. Dance forms
Jig
This is the form with the quickest tempo, and the one most people readily identify as "Irish dance music". Time signature: 6/8 (a personal note: though jigs are notated in 6/8, I have always "felt" the time in 4/4. I am mentally counting 1-2-3-4 with triplets on top. I guess you could also say I think of it in 12/8); Examples: The Rakish Paddy, The Irish Washerwoman, The Blarney Pilgrim.
Slip-Jig
Characterized by a quick tempo and 9/8 time signature with a triplet feel. Examples: Kid on the Mountain, The Butterfly
Reel
Also a quick tempo and 4/4 time, but more of a flowing feel than a jig. If you listen to enough jigs and reels the differences become apparent, and the difference is mainly in the rhythmic emphasis. Examples: Temperance Reel, Green Fields of America, Gravel Walk
Hornpipe
This form can be found in 6/8, 12/8, or 4/4 tempos, with a different rhythmic emphasis than either jigs or reels. Examples: Sailor's Hornpipe, Proudlock's Hornpipe, The Rights of Man
Slide
Another dance form similar to a jig.
Set Dance
A more stately and sometimes classical sounding dance music. Examples: Morgan Magan, Rodney's Glory, The Blackbird
2. Melodic forms
Air
This is a slow and very melodic form. Whenever harmony creeps into celtic music this is usually the place. Examples: Pretty Maid Milking a Cow, Planxty Irwin, Skye Boat Song, Down in the Sally Gardens, Hewlett, The South Wind..
Lament
Melodic like an air, but with a definite element of sadness.
Peobracht
A Scottish piping form that is slow, long, and stately. It is usually performed solo, on highland pipes. |
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发表于 2005-10-26 15:46:05
发表于 2005-10-26 15:47:31
