Composer: Thomas Walsh (who is he?)
TAB: Chief Noda Feb. 1998
This is a slow Irish Air. I learned it from El McMeen's f*ng*rstyl*
arrangement (see "Mel Bay's Complete Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar Book",
MB95217)
On Irish harp, strings remain vibrating unless you stop then intentionally.
This creates a wonderful overlap of notes, characteristic on harp. On
guitars, notes tend to get stopped either you move your fretting finger or
another note is struck on the same string. Sometimes, you can work on
fingering and create the "harp effect".
Here I'm presenting three versions. The first is a very straight melody
with simple fingering. The second and third play the exactly same melody
but with different fingerings - the purpose is to create the harp effect.
You can try three versions and see and hear the difference (I hope). The
third version requires high positions with very unusual fingerings. This
one is fancier but is not neccessarily better :-(
If the stretch is too much, use a capo on 3rd or 5th. That should help
reducing the stretch.
Also you can try to play this tune with capo at 7th (or higher). That
changes the tonality of the guitar and you end up sounding like a music
box.
Note: G major scale with different fingerings
Straight Cross-string Another X-string ------------0-2-3---------------0---3----------------------- ------0-1-3---------------0---3---7------------------------- --0-2-------------------2---5-------------------------0----- ----------------------5-------------------------0---4------- ------------------------------------------0---3---7--------- ----------------------------------------3---7---------------
Time: 3/4 (waltz)
Speed: Slow.
Probably 80 - 100 beats per minute
Tuning: Standard
Key: G Major
Structure: A A B B
Version One (straight fingering)
Pick-up measure
|
-------|
-------|
---0-2-|
-------|
-------|
-------|
G G C D
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--0---0---0-3-|-0---0---0-3-|-----1---0---|-------------|
--------2-----|-------2-----|-------------|-2-------0-2-|
--------------|-------------|-2-----------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G G C G
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--0---0---0-3-|-0---0---0-3-|-----1-0-----|---------3---|
--------2-----|-------2-----|---------2-0-|-0-----------|
--------------|-------------|-2-----------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C G C Em or C
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--0---0-2-0---|-------------|-0---0-------|-0---0-2-3-2-|
------------3-|-0---0---0-3-|-------3-0-3-|-------------|
--------------|-------2-----|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C G D G
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--0---0-2-0---|-------------|-------------|-------------||
------------3-|-0---0---0-3-|-----1-0-----|-------------||
--------------|-------2-----|---------2-0-|-0------(0-2)||
--------------|-------------|-0-----------|-------------||
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
Version Two ("harp effect" fingering)
Hold onto notes as long as you can
Pick-up measure
|
-------|
-------|
-----2-|
---5---|
-------|
-------|
G G C D
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--0---0---0-3-|-0---0---0-3-|---------0---|-------------|
--------2-----|-------2-----|-----5-------|-2---------2-|
--------------|-------------|-2-----------|---------5---|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G G C G
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--0---0---0-3-|-0---0---0-3-|-------0-----|---------3---|
--------2-----|-------2-----|-----5---2---|-0-----------|
--------------|-------------|-2---------5-|-5-----------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C G C Em or C
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--0---0-2-0---|-------------|-0---0-------|-0---0-2-3-2-|
------------3-|-----------3-|-------3---3-|-------------|
--------------|-4---4-2-4---|---------4---|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C G D G
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--0---0-2-0---|-------------|-------------|-------------||
------------3-|-----------3-|-------0-----|-------------||
--------------|-4---4-2-4---|-----5---2---|-0--------(2)||
--------------|-------------|-0---------5-|--------(5)--||
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
Version Three ("harp effect" fingering II)
() indicates an alternate position.
Pick-up measure
|
-------|
-------|
---0---|
-----7-|
-------|
-------|
G G C D
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--0---------3-|-0---------3-|---------0---|-------------|
------4---4---|-----4---4---|-----5-------|---------0---|
--------7-----|-------7-----|-------------|-7---------7-|
--------------|-------------|-7-----------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
G G C G
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--0---------3-|-0---------3-|-------0-----|-------------|
------4---4---|-----4---4---|-----5-----0-|-0---------7-|
--------7-----|-------7-----|---------7---|(5)----------|
--------------|-------------|-7-----------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C G C Em or C
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--0---0---0---|-------------|-0---0-------|-0---0---3---|
--------7-----|-0---------3-|---------0---|-------7(8)7-|
------------7-|-----4---4---|-------7---7-|-------------|
--------------|-------7-----|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
C G D G
| | | | | | | | | | | |
--0---0---0---|-------------|-------------|-------------||
--------7-----|-0---------3-|-------0-----|-------------||
------------7-|-----4---4---|-----5-----0-|-0-----------||
--------------|-------7-----|-0-------7---|-------------||
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
--------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||