Celtic Symbols

This is a list of some of the world’s music genre and their definitions

• African Folk – Music held to be typical of a nation or ethnic group, known to all segments of its society, and preserved usually by oral tradition.
• Afro jazz – refers to jazz music which has been heavily influenced by African music. The music took elements of marabi, swing and American jazz and synthesized this into a unique fusion. The first band to really achieve this synthesis was the South African band Jazz Maniacs.
• Afro-beat – is a combination of Yoruba music, jazz, Highlife, and funk rhythms, fused with African percussion and vocal styles, popularized in Africa in the 1970s.
• Afro-Pop – Afropop or Afro Pop is a term sometimes used to refer to contemporary African pop music. The term does not refer to a specific style or sound, but is used as a general term to describe African popular music.
• Apala – Originally derived from the Yoruba people of Nigeria. It is a percussion-based style that developed in the late 1930s, when it was used to wake worshippers after fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
• Assiko – is a popular dance from the South of Cameroon. The band is usually based on a singer accompanied with a guitar, and a percussionnist playing the pulsating rhythm of Assiko with metal knives and forks on an empty bottle.
• Batuque - is a music and dance genre from Cape Verde.
• Bend Skin – is a kind of urban Cameroonian popular music. Kouchoum Mbada is the most well-known group associated with the genre.
• Benga – Is a musical genre of Kenyan popular music. It evolved between the late 1940s and late 1960s, in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi.
• Biguine – is a style of music that originated in Martinique in the 19th century. By combining the traditional bele music with the polka, the black musicians of Martinique created the biguine, which comprises three distinct styles, the biguine de salon, the biguine de bal and the biguines de rue.
• Bikutsi – is a musical genre from Cameroon. It developed from the traditional styles of the Beti, or Ewondo, people, who live around the city of Yaounde.
• Bongo Flava – it has a mix of rap, hip hop, and R&B for starters but these labels don’t do it justice. It’s rap, hip hop and R&B Tanzanian style: a big melting pot of tastes, history, culture and identity.
• Cadence - is a particular series of intervals or chords that ends a phrase, section, or piece of music.
• Calypso – is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad at about the start of the 20th century. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of African slaves, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song.
• Chaabi – is a popular music of Morocco, very similar to the Algerian Rai.
• Chimurenga – is a Zimbabwean popular music genre coined by and popularised by Thomas Mapfumo. Chimurenga is a Shona language word for struggle.
• Chouval Bwa - features percussion, bamboo flute, accordion, and wax-paper/comb-type kazoo. The music originated among rural Martinicans.
• Christian Rap - is a form of rap which uses Christian themes to express the songwriter’s faith.
• Coladeira – is a form of music in Cape Verde. Its element ascends to funacola which is a mixture of funanáa and coladera. Famous coladera musicians includes Antoninho Travadinha.
• Contemporary Christian - is a genre of popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith.
• Country – is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. It has roots in traditional folk music, Celtic music, blues, gospel music, hokum, and old-time music and evolved rapidly in the 1920s.
• Dance Hall - is a type of Jamaican popular music which developed in the late 1970s, with exponents such as Yellowman and Shabba Ranks. It is also known as bashment. The style is characterized by a deejay singing and toasting (or rapping) over raw and danceable music riddims.
• Disco – is a genre of dance-oriented pop music that was popularized in dance clubs in the mid-1970s.
• Folk – in the most basic sense of the term, is music by and for the common people.
• Freestyle – is a form of electronic music that is heavily influenced by Latin American culture.
• Fuji – is a popular Nigerian musical genre. It arose from the improvisation Ajisari/were music tradition, which is a kind of Muslim music performed to wake believers before dawn during the Ramadan fasting season.
• Funana – is a mixed Portuguese and African music and dance from Santiago, Cape Verde. It is said that the lower part of the body movement is African, and the upper part Portuguese.
• Funk – is an American musical style that originated in the mid- to late-1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, soul jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music.
• Gangsta rap - is a subgenre of hip-hop music which developed during the late 1980s. ‘Gangsta’ is a variation on the spelling of ‘gangster’. After the popularity of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic in 1992, gangsta rap became the most commercially lucrative subgenre of hip-hop.
• Genge – is a genre of hip hop music that had its beginnings in Nairobi, Kenya. The name was coined and popularized by Kenyan rapper Nonini who started off at Calif Records. It is a style that incorporates hip hop, dancehall and traditional African music styles. It is commonly sung in Sheng(slung),Swahili or local dialects.
• Gnawa – is a mixture of African, Berber, and Arabic religious songs and rhythms. It combines music and acrobatic dancing. The music is both a prayer and a celebration of life.
• Gospel – is a musical genre characterized by dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) referencing lyrics of a religious nature, particularly Christian.
• Highlife – is a musical genre that originated in Ghana and spread to Sierra Leone and Nigeria in the 1920s and other West African countries.
• Hip-Hop – is a style of popular music, typically consisting of a rhythmic, rhyming vocal style called rapping (also known as emceeing) over backing beats and scratching performed on a turntable by a DJ.
• House – is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. House music is strongly influenced by elements of the late 1970s soul- and funk-infused dance music style of disco.
• Indie – is a term used to describe genres, scenes, subcultures, styles and other cultural attributes in music, characterized by their independence from major commercial record labels and their autonomous, do-it-yourself approach to recording and publishing.
• Instrumental – An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments.
• Isicathamiya – is an a cappella singing style that originated from the South African Zulus.
• Jazz – is an original American musical art form which originated around the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States out of a confluence of African and European music traditions.
• Jit - is a style of popular Zimbabwean dance music. It features a swift rhythm played on drums and accompanied by a guitar.
• Juju – is a style of Nigerian popular music, derived from traditional Yoruba percussion. It evolved in the 1920s in urban clubs across the countries. The first jùjú recordings were by Tunde King and Ojoge Daniel from the 1920s.
• Kizomba – is one of the most popular genres of dance and music from Angola. Sung generally in Portuguese, it is a genre of music with a romantic flow mixed with African rhythm.
• Kwaito – is a music genre that emerged in Johannesburg, South Africa in the early 1990s. It is based on house music beats, but typically at a slower tempo and containing melodic and percussive African samples which are looped, deep basslines and often vocals, generally male, shouted or chanted rather than sung or rapped.
• Kwela – is a happy, often pennywhistle based, street music from southern Africa with jazzy underpinnings. It evolved from the marabi sound and brought South African music to international prominence in the 1950s.
• Lingala – Soukous (also known as Soukous or Congo, and previously as African rumba) is a musical genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s
• Makossa – is a type of music which is most popular in urban areas in Cameroon. It is similar to soukous, except it includes strong bass rhythm and a prominent horn section. It originated from a type of Duala dance called kossa, with significant influences from jazz, ambasse bey, Latin music, highlife and rumba.
• Malouf - a kind of music imported to Tunisia from Andalusia after the Spanish conquest in the 15th century.
• Mapouka – also known under the name of Macouka, is a traditional dance from the south-east of the Ivory Coast in the area of Dabou, sometimes carried out during religious ceremonies.
• Maringa – is a West African musical genre. It evolved among the Kru people of Sierra Leone and Liberia, who used Portuguese guitars brought by sailors, combining local melodies and rhythms with Trinidadian calypso.
• Marrabenta - is a form of Mozambican dance music. It was developed in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique, formerly Laurenco Marques.
• Mazurka – is a Polish folk dance in triple meter with a lively tempo, containing a heavy accent on the third or second beat. It is always found to have either a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note pair, or ordinary eighth note pair before two quarter notes.
• Mbalax – is the national popular dance music of Senegal. It is a fusion of popular dance musics from the West such as jazz, soul, Latin, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal.
• Mbaqanga – is a style of South African music with rural Zulu roots that continues to influence musicians worldwide today. The style was originated in the early 1960s.
• Mbube – is a form of South African vocal music, made famous by the South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The word mbube means “lion” in Zulu
• Merengue – is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic
• Morna – is a genre of Cape Verdean music, related to Portuguese fado, Brazilian modinha, Argentinian tango, and Angolan lament.
• Museve – is a popular Zimbabwe music genre. Artists include Simon Chimbetu and Alick Macheso
• Oldies – term commonly used to describe a radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Oldies are typically from R&B, pop and rock music genres.
• Pop – is an ample and imprecise category of modern music not defined by artistic considerations but by its potential audience or prospective market.
• Quadrille – is a historic dance performed by four couples in a square formation, a precursor to traditional square dancing. It is also a style of music.
• R&B - is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences, first performed by African American artists.
• Rai - is a form of folk music, originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s and has been primarily evolved by women in the culture.
• Ragga – is a sub-genre of dancehall music or reggae, in which the instrumentation primarily consists of electronic music; sampling often serves a prominent role in raggamuffin music as well.
• Rap – is the rhythmic singing delivery of rhymes and wordplay, one of the elements of hip hop music and culture.
• Rara – is a form of festival music used for street processions, typically during Easter Week.
• Reggae – is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. A particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based on a rhythm style characterized by regular chops on the off-beat, known as the skank.
• Reggaeton – is a form of urban music which became popular with Latin American youth during the early 1990s. Originating in Panama, Reggaeton blends Jamaican music influences of reggae and dancehall with those of Latin America, such as bomba, plena, merengue, and bachata as well as that of hip hop and Electronica.
• Rock – is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. Many styles of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, synthesizers.
• Rumba – is a family of music rhythms and dance styles that originated in Africa and were introduced to Cuba and the New World by African slaves.
• Salegy – is a popular type of Afropop styles exported from Madagascar. This Sub-Saharan African folk music dance originated with the Malagasy language of Madagascar, Southern Africa.
• Salsa – is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos abroad.
• Samba – is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. It is widely viewed as Brazil’s national musical style.
• Sega – is an evolved combination of traditional Music of Seychelles,Mauritian and Réunionnais music with European dance music like polka and quadrilles.
• Seggae – is a music genre invented in the mid 1980s by the Mauritian Rasta singer, Joseph Reginald Topize who was sometimes known as Kaya, after a song title by Bob Marley. Seggae is a fusion of sega from the island country, Mauritius, and reggae.
• Semba – is a traditional type of music from the Southern-African country of Angola. Semba is the predecessor to a variety of music styles originated from Africa, of which three of the most famous are Samba (from Brazil), Kizomba (Angolan style of music derived directly from Zouk music) and Kuduro (or Kuduru, energetic, fast-paced Angolan Techno music, so to speak).
• Shona Music – is the music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. There are several different types of traditional Shona music including mbira, singing, hosho and drumming. Very often, this music will be accompanied by dancing, and participation by the audience.
• Ska – is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was a precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues.
• Slow Jam – is typically a song with an R&B-influenced melody. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or just downtempo songs. The term is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding songs with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content.
• Soca – is a form of dance music that originated in Trinidad from calypso. It combines the melodic lilting sound of calypso with insistent (usually electronic in recent music) percussion.
• Soukous – is a musical genre that originated in the two neighbouring countries of Belgian Congo and French Congo during the 1930s and early 1940s, and which has gained popularity throughout Africa.
• Soul – is a music genre that combines rhythm and blues and gospel music, originating in the United States.
• Taarab – is a music genre popular in Tanzania. It is influenced by music from the cultures with a historical presence in East Africa, including music from East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Taarab rose to prominence in 1928 with the rise of the genre’s first star, Siti binti Saad.
• Tango – is a style of music that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay. It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, doublebass, and two bandoneons.
• Waka – is a popular Islamic-oriented Yoruba musical genre. It was pioneered and made popular by Alhaja Batile Alake from Ijebu, who took the genre into the mainstream Nigerian music by playing it at concerts and parties; also, she was the first waka singer to record an album.
• Wassoulou – is a genre of West African popular music, named after the region of Wassoulou. It is performed mostly by women, using lyrics that address women’s issues regarding childbearing, fertility and polygamy.
• Ziglibithy – is a style of Ivorian popular music that developed in the 1970s. It was the first major genre of music from the Ivory Coast. The first major pioneer of the style was Ernesto Djedje.
• Zouglou – is a dance oriented style of music from the Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) that first evolved in the 1990s. It started with students (les parents du Campus) from the University of Abidjan.
• Zouk – is a style of rhythmic music originating from the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. It has its roots in kompa music from Haiti, cadence music from Dominica, as popularised by Grammacks and Exile One.

The unique music of Scotland is easily recognized around the world and has remained a vibrant force to this day while many forms of traditional music worldwide have experienced a loss of popularity to pop music. Even with emigration and the influx of music imported from the rest of Europe and the United States, the music of Scotland has been able to keep the majority of its traditional structure and has even influenced many other forms of music.

Traditional Scottish music even while influential to and being influenced by both Irish and English traditional music is still an art form unto itself and in spite of the increasing popularity of varied international pop music styles it remains a vital and everlasting Scottish tradition. There are numerous Scottish record labels and music festivals as well as Scottish music magazines.

Although many people in the world think immediately of bagpipes when thinking about Scottish music, bagpipes are not unique or indigenous to Scotland. Don’t get me wrong, bagpipes are a very important part of Scottish music tradition but they were actually imported into Scotland around the 15th century from other areas in Europe where they are still played.

The pìob mór, or Great Highland Bagpipe, is the most distinctively Scottish form of the instrument; it was created for clan pipers to be used for various, often military or marching, purposes. Piping clans included the MacArthurs, MacDonalds, McKays and, especially, the MacCrimmons, who were hereditary pipers to the Clan MacLeod.

In modern times bagpipes have even found there way into many songs in pop music with rockers like Rod Stewart who was extremely popular in the late 1970’s and 80’s. He used bagpipes in many of his popular songs. Another more recent artist whose Celtic music has been well received is Enya.

If you haven’t explored this beautiful music form I urge you to do so. Scottish music and in particular the Celtic Music of Enya can be very soothing and stress relieving.

The Celtic art and culture became popular because of the elements of both European and Indian heritage in it. Celtic music is still very much liked in all parts of the world and so is Celtic jewelry. Some people wear Celtic religious jewelry merely to follow fashion because it is a mixture of antique designs and modern artwork. These jewelry articles are now widely available on the internet in the form of cross pendants, Claddagh rings, and Shamrock jewelry articles including beautiful pendants and charms. Four-leaf clover charms in gold, silver and platinum are also highly appreciated all over the world.

Authentic Celtic jewelry is very beautiful and eye-catching. Many people like to wear these items as symbols of fashion and style. Lovely hand carved rings with gemstones and diamonds are also exchanged by the bride and the bridegroom on their wedding in many cultures. Celtic spiral and tied-knot rings are particularly notable and famous all over the world. These rings are available in silver, yellow gold and white gold and are quite affordable. A serpent forming a celtic knot is a popular design in these kinds of jewelry articles.

Celtic crosses in the category of religious jewelry come in various styles and designs. They are available in the price range of $50 to $500 depending on their material and the quality of gemstones or diamonds used on them. Pure gold crosses and crucifixes are liked by a lot of people out there because of their beauty and charm. Carnandonagh, 4 Gospels and Duleek cross pendants are beautiful and unique. The Carnandonagh cross is named after St. Patrick. Some of these pendants come with chains, while others are sold without chains. You can find sterling silver and gold charms and crosses at reasonable prices.

Loose charms and crosses can also be found in this category which can be used in all kinds of jewelry making projects. The Celtic cross is a bit different from the traditional cross as it comes with a ring or circle which represents eternity and never-ending love bestowed by God upon mankind. This concept is depicted in almost all Celtic religious jewelry articles. Handmade Irish and Scottish jewelry is admired by stylish and devout people. Authentic Celtic jewelry made in Ireland including two-tone and double-sided crosses, and gemstone and sterling silver cross pendants can be found online.

Among Celtic religious jewelry, four-leaf clover pendants and charms are also worn as lucky jewelry articles. Many people believe that wearing such signs and symbols can bring them good luck or good fortune. The peace sign and the number 7 are also worn as beautiful charms in bracelets and chains. In addition to these, you can also find replica crosses of Moone, Ardboe, Drumcliffe, Durrow and Ahenny. These replica cross pendants come very inexpensive and are truly magnificent. You can find them in the price range of $70 to $100 which is quite affordable. Celtic cross pendants with real gemstones are also admired across the globe.

If you are looking for exceptional and beautiful Celtic jewelry, do check out these unique and attractive religious articles.

Celtic Woman ? musical band, formed by five Irish and a New Zealander female artist, offers music ranging from traditional Celtic tunes to modern songs. Chloe Agnew is a part of the band as a vocalist along with Orla Fallon, Lisa Kelly, Meav Ni Mhaolchatha and Hayley Westenra. The band also includes a violinist Mairead Nesbitt.

Celtic music is known to be the music of Ireland or Europe. Artists Enya and Clannad hold the title, to introduce Celtic music to rest of the world. Celtic Woman introduced it together with theatrical performance of ?River-dance? and ?Lord of the Dance? because of which they have been referred to as the ?River-dance for the voice?.

So far, the group has to its credit three albums named ?Celtic Woman?, ?Celtic Woman – A Christmas Celebration? and ?Celtic Woman – A New Journey? and have been on several world tours.

Arranged by producer – Sharon Browne, Chairman and CEO – Dave Kavanagh and music director and composer – David Downes, Celtic Woman was recorded at The Helix, Dublin, Ireland on 15 September 2004 in front of a sell-out audience. Since it was recorded for PBS Television thus, was first broadcasted in United States in March 2005. Shortly, the group’s debut album ?Celtic Woman? was on top of the Billboard’s World Music chart, remained there until 22 July 2006 (68 weeks), and held the top ranking for a total of 81 weeks breaking any other long-standing record for any album. PBS media hype throughout 2005 is said to be the main reason for success of the group in United States. The live performance at The Helix was released on DVD together with the studio album.

On 19 October 2006, The release of the second album ?Celtic Woman – A Christmas Celebration? hammered out their first album to the #2 spot on the World Music chart. Celtic Woman performed at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland on 23 and 24 August 2006, in order to prepare for their third studio album, which was broadcasted on PBS in December 2006. On 30 January 2007 the studio album titled ?Celtic Woman: A New Journey?, was released, together with the release of their live performance on DVD. The album instantly hit the Billboard 200 at number 4 and topped the Billboard World Music chart again; however, it knocked out their earlier two releases down a spot. The band now secured the top three positions on Billboard World Music Chart.

The Chairman and CEO of Celtic Woman – Dave Kavanagh, together with EMI has shaped Celtic Woman into an International success. Celtic Woman reveals the unique voices and styles of each of the girls as soloists as well as fantastic band numbers. The talented four Irish female vocalists and the electrifying violinist of Celtic Woman with Composer & Music Director – David Downes, have shaped a breathtaking musical experience.

Since their debut in March 2005, Celtic Woman has made a great impact on audience in United States. They have achieved a lot in a very less time a list of which is as follows: ? Their first PBS special has been aired over 3400 times on 316 PBS stations nationwide since its March 2005 debut. ? Their self-titled debut CD and DVD have been certified platinum in United States. ? They have performed four incredibly booming U.S concert tours, including sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall, Carnagie Hall, Boston?s Opera House and the Greek Theatre in LA. ? Their debut album Celtic Woman has held the number one position on the Billboard World Music chart for over 95 consecutive weeks. ? They have appeared on The Today Show, Live with Regis & Kelly, The Megan Mullaly show and on Brian Boitano?s Skating Spectacular that aired on NBC on New Year?s Eve 2007.

Globally, Celtic Woman?s debut CD has gone platinum in South Africa and ?A Christmas Celebration? has been certified gold. The DVD has also been certified gold in Australia along with CD in Japan. Germany, Canada & New Zealand are also very strong markets for the band.

It is now time to take A NEW JOURNEY with Celtic Woman! This female Irish group of adorable voices has recorded a brand new studio album offering the trademark Celtic Woman sound, which has had a huge impact not only in the US but also in many countries around the world including Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Germany. The album is an impressive collection of modern-day hits such as ?Beyond the Sea?, ?The Prayer?, ?Scarborough Fair?, ?Over the Rainbow?, old favorites ?Lascia Ch?io Pianga?, ?Vivaldi?s Rain? and Irish standards ?D?laman?, ?At the Ceili?, ?Caledonia? and ?Mo Ghile Mear?.

Since the debut of their first PBS TV special in March 2005, Celtic Woman has turned into a public television stir. Up till now, their debut program has aired over 3400 times on 316 PBS stations (a total of 93% of the PBS stations in America) making it one of the most successful PBS fundraising shows in the previous year.

On December 2, 2006, Celtic Woman?s new TV special – A New Journey, was covered by 90% of PBS during the December pledge period, setting up a new record for their success on PBS. The live concert was filmed at Slane Castle – the home of Lord Henry Mount Charles, in County Meath, Ireland (a venue that has also hosted concerts by U2, The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen
For more information about Celtic Woman Tickets visit:
http://www.ticketluck.com/concert-tickets/Celtic-Woman/index.php

The Tin Whistle (sometimes called a pennywhistle) is a simple and cheap instrument. It’s simply a metal tube with six fingerholes and a mouthpiece (much like a recorder); it has a range of about two octaves. Costs range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars — although some of the best players play only the cheaper brands.

The tin whistle is a simple instrument — and it’s simple to play, and simple to play easy tunes. But — it’s not simple to master! The instrument may be cheap, but you’ll have to pay for mastery … by practicing! The haunting whistle tunes from the movie “Titanic” illustrate the deep soul found in this instrument.

This instrument is commonly made from metal (usually brass) with a molded whistle mouthpiece. By playing it open (not covering any of the six fingerholes), then by covering each fingerhole in turn, you can play the 7 notes in a diatonic (a simple Do-Re-Mi scale — essentially the white keys on a piano) scale. Blow a little bit harder and you’ll play the same note, but an octave higher. While it is a diatonic instrument, you can achieve sharps and flats by half-covering fingerholes.

Since there are essentially only two open notes — a note, then the note an octave higher when you blow harder — each tin whistle is said to represent a certain Key signature. For instance, if the open note sounds a “D”, then the whistle is considered to be in the key of D. Many players carry a small set of whistles in the most commonly used keys.

Some people don’t realize you can actually tune a tin whistle! You do so by sliding the metal barrel of the whistle in and out of the mouthpiece head. Some whistles have the head glues securely to the barrel. You can usually loosen the glue by holding the joined portion under hot running water. Don’t use boiling water — this may melt the plastic whistle head!

Key signatures commonly found in celtic Music are “D Major” and “G Major”. By default, all tin whistles are in a Major key (since they play a diatonic scale). However, if you begin your scale with all the fingerholes covered (instead of all fingerholes open), then you’re beginning one step higher than a diatonic scale — which results in a minor key signature! For instance, a tin whistle in “D” can play in E Minor if you begin your scale by covering all the fingerholes. Interestingly enough, the chord sequence “E Minor” and “D Major” is commonly found in Celtic Music. (This is the same chord sequence used in “What Would You Do with A Drunken Sailor”.) A whistle in “G Major” could easily play in A Minor (A Minor and G being another commonly found chord sequence).

Consider the instruments used by your favorite celtic group — certainly, there’s a fiddle … and there may be a tinwhistle and perhaps some bagpipes.  There’s probably a guitar and a bodhran (a sort of handheld drum) — but what about those other stringed instruments?

You may find a mandolin or a mandola in the group — and perhaps a bouzouki.  In fact, a bouzouki may take the place of the guitar.  What makes these instruments useful in celtic folk music?

First off, you’re probably familiar with a mandolin.  It’s a small (pretty much violin-sized) strummed or plucked instrument — you can finger chords on it and strum it, or you can pluck individual strings to play a melody.  Mandolin’s are common to most types of folk or country music.  They have essentially the same scale length as a violin (the strings are about the same length) — in fact, it’s normally tuned exactly like a violin — GDAE!  This makes it very easy to learn both instruments. 

The mandolin has a high, ringing tone.  When playing accompanying chords, the mandolin’s high pitch and sharp attach have an almost percussive effect … making it an excellent rhythm instrument. Since the mandolin isn’t loud when individual notes are plucked, most solo playing requires a fast and repeated picking technique.

The mandola is a little larger than the mandolin — giving it a lower pitch.  Some tune it a fifth down from a mandolin — CGDA.  Some folks even tune an entire octave lower — although the scale length isn’t really long enough for proper intonation.  The lower tones alter the effect of strummed chords — instead of a sharp and ringing attack (like a mandolin), the effect is much closer to a guitar where the chords flow naturally to the background.  Sharp and bright chords jump to the forefront of a song — sometimes this is good, but usually you want your rhythym instruments to be complimentary, not a featured solo instrument.

If lower is better for chord playing, then why not go all the way to an octave mandolin?  Tuned like a mandolin to GDAE … except an octave lower … the octave mandolin also has a scale length close to a guitar.  And here’s where we start running into problems!

How far can your fingers stretch?  Most chords on a guitar span 4 frets at the most — with 3 being the most common maximum stretch.  Mandolin chords often span 4 frets — with some having a 5 fret span.  When played on a short scale mandolin, this stretch isn’t a problem.  When the scale length approaches 2 feet or so (about a guitar’s scale length), the required fret stretch is simply too much for most players.

A bouzouki has this same problem — originally used for Greek folk music, a bouzouki is tuned like an octave mandolin.  This lower tuning makes it ideal for a celtic rhythm instrument — except for the required fret stretch.

Because of this, you often see bouzoukis or octave mandolins tuned differently for celtic music — GDAD.  Chord fretting in this tuning is much easier and the longer scale length (a few inches longer than an octave mandolin) results in deep, long sustaining chords — making a bouzouki a perfect rhythm instrument for celtic music!