| Celtic Flatpicking and Rhythm Guitar |
Celtic Flatpicking and Rhythm Guitar
In Celtic music, there’s not as much a distinction between fingerpickers and flatpickers as there is in American music. Most guitarists play some of both. In this video, Tony talks about playing melodies with a pick, as well as how he accompanies jigs, reels, etc., and the distinction between those rhythms. When he plays with a pick, Tony mostly plays in dropped-D tuning, in part because Irish music is centered around the key of D, which are the drones of the pipe. Tony shows you his pick and how he uses it, and then talks about some of his basic accompaniment patterns, including a jig rhythm that emphasizes the first and third beats of 6/8. He also talks about playing slip jigs, which are in 9/8. (To match Tony’s pitch on this video, tune your guitar a quarter tone flat.)
