Key of E Minor Chords, Part 5: “The Cup of Tea” Embellished Backup

This lesson is part of the course Irish Guitar with John Doyle.

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Guitar master John Doyle teaches you how to play traditional and contemporary Irish music. With lessons on essential technique, playing backup on traditional tune forms, melodic picking, and more, you’ll learn John’s driving rhythmic style and his authentic approach to traditional melodies and his own tunes and songs.

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“Mooney’s Reel” Backup

John shows you a more complex approach to backing up “Mooney’s Reel” in this video.

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Key of E Minor Chords

Key of E Minor Chords, Part 1

Key of E Minor Chords, Part 2: “The Cup of Tea” Melody

Key of E Minor Chords, Part 3: “The Cup of Tea” Basic Backup

Key of E Minor Chords, Part 4: “The Cup of Tea” Basic Backup Play-Along Track

Key of E Minor Chords, Part 5: “The Cup of Tea” Embellished Backup

If you feel comfortable with the basic pattern for “The Cup of Tea,” check out this video, in which John shows you a variety of ways to vary the accompaniment pattern both rhythmically and harmonically. He’ll show you some additional chords, accent patterns, and picking techniques (such as damping) to spice things up. John notes that he often tries to think like a bass player when accompanying tunes, and he emphasizes that linear motion of the lowest strings in what he shows you in this video.

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Key of E Minor Chords, Part 5: “The Cup of Tea” Embellished Backup

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