The Complete Guide To Celtic Music

Celtic music means many things to many people. To some it recalls the Irish rebel songs of the Clancy Brothers, to others the ensemble playing of the Chieftains or Enya's ethereal vocals. Yet Celtic music is much more than reels, jigs, and sentimental ballads. It is also unaccompanied singing, feverish fiddle tunes, the sweet strains of the Irish uileann pipes. It comes not just from Ireland and Scotland but from Wales, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and Cornwall. It informs the musical roots of Van Morrison and U2, the performances of Riverdance, and the scores for such films as Braveheart and Titanic.Celtic Music explores all aspects of this music—from its roots to the exciting developments on the contemporary scene. Sawyers profiles hundreds of artists, and compiles suggestions for recommended listening as well as the one hundred essential Celtic recordings. Lists of Celtic festivals and publications are also included, together with record outlets, record labels, and music schools, making this book essential for all lovers of the music.

A guide to the traditional and contemporary music of the Celtic lands - an examination of its past, an assessment of the present, a glimpse into its future.

Celtic music is more popular than ever, and this guide to music from the Scotland and Ireland explains why, covering everything from the traditional reels and jigs celebrated in the popular Riverdance production to the pop sounds of Van Morrison, U2, Sinead O'Connor, Hothouse Flowers, and many others.

(Waltons Irish Music Books). Everything you need to know about the Irish fiddle, from playing your first notes and tunes to advanced solos and ornamentation. This book includes special chapters for beginners, "key points" highlighting essential aspects of fiddle technique, a comprehensive guide to traditional ornamentation and over 80 carefully chosen tunes. One of Ireland's most exciting fiddle players, Paul McNevin has had an equally influential career as a teacher. During his long association with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, he won the All Ireland Slogadh and Plearacha competitions and received his Comhaltas teaching diplomas in 1991. Paul has toured throughout Europe with the Donal Lunny Band, Damien Quinn and Speranza, among others and has been a regular guest with Stockton's Wing and the Riverdance dancers.

Includes a concise history of Celtic music, entries on noteworthy composers and musicians, listings of classic songs and compositions, a dictionary of Celtic music terminology, and a listing of the fifty most influential Celtic music CDs.

This is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in Irish mandolin playing. As well as being a complete guide for the absolute beginner, this book also contains a mine of information, useful tips and ideas for the experienced player. the book takes the reader from the basics of the mandolin right through to more advanced topics such as creating variations, emphasis, improvisation, playing with other musicians, practicing effectively and much more. All the tunes and key exercises in the book are included on the accompanying 63 track CD. There is no need to read conventional music notation as all the music is written in easy-to-read mandolin tablature. However, for those interested in learning about music notation there is a handy section on this subject tailored specifically to the mandolinist as well as a chapter on modes.

Forty beautiful Celtic melodies arranged for solo fingerstyle guitar. All the songs are arranged to be easily playable. Most of the songs are in standard tuning plus there is an additional section in DADGAD tuning. A CD is included featuring all the songs.

Taking Irish traditional music as its starting point and focus, this guide traces the music's history, describes its fundamental elements and provides a detailed directory of all the key singers, musicians and bands, listings of venues, festivals, record companies, and instrument makers.