58 Sing Out! � Vol. 45 #3 � Fall 2001

TEACH-IN: GUITARHelpful hints & suggestions from instrumental masters

by Ken Perlman

measure 2 ). My setting was then enhanced a few years later whenI incorporated a few stylistic features � for example, the slight�tossing off� (speeding up) of the run of notes at the end of eachpart � from a rendition of the tune I heard played by Cape Bretonfiddler Buddy MacMaster (Natalie�s uncle).

Here�s some specifics on the arrangement, which is prettymuch how I recorded it on my Devil In The Kitchen CD

(Marimac Recordings):

� I use quite a number of rapid bass notes � both on and be-tween the beat to enhance sustain on the instrument. (Ex-ample: Part A measure 1 and 2)

� I frequently use voice leading (moving between chords bythe shortest possible distance) for dramatic effect. Examples:Part A, measures 2 and 3.

� Counterpoint is another useful device. There are two fairlyobvious examples. First, in the last measure of each part, thebass descends separately from the melody. Second, in the B-part measure 4 the bass line moves up and down scale noteson the 5th string, under two long melody notes.

Observe that in the notation all notes played by the fingershave stems originating from the top of the staff while all notesplayed by the thumb have stems originating from the bottom ofthe staff. Be aware that where thumb and fingers rapidly alter-nate, some eighth notes are shown with two stems (one fromeither direction). In such cases, it is the non-connected stem (thatis, the one not connected to the eighth note grouping) that indi-cates whether a note is to be played by fingers or thumb.

DA SLOCKIT LIGHTBy Tom Anderson ©

Guitar Setting by Ken Perlman

PLAYING CELTIC AIRS ON GUITAR

The guitar generally lends itself quite well to playing Celticinstrumental airs, which is a more or less catch-all cat-

egory that includes everything from Turlough O�Carolan�s ba-roque harp compositions, to J. Scott Skinner�s post-classical fiddlepieces (often performed with half a dozen or more variations) totin-whistle renditions of the melodies of ancient Irish ballads.

One advantage for the guitar when tackling Celtic airs isthat the instrument has sufficient sustain to effectively trans-late some of the slower moving passages. It also has a timbre(tone quality) that offers the kind of gravity the material usu-ally demands. Fingerstyle also offers an additional advantage:your bass line can offer interesting or even poignant harmonicsupport for the air, and � harking back to the Baroque era orearlier � it can even offer a counterpoint (that is, a secondarymelody moving differently from the original melody).

Probably the most ticklish issue when performing a Celticair on any instrument is that of strict tempo vs. rubato (wherethe tempo ebbs and flows to some degree). CertainlyO�Carolan�s compositions � given their baroque origin � havealways been performed in strict time. Players of the abovementioned tin-whistle renditions of ancient Irish ballads, onthe other hand, try to reflect the same pauses, elongations andcontractions that a singer would use when performing the tune.Scottish fiddle airs are often performed with dramatic pausesbetween phrases, with some passages of the tune being per-formed in fairly strict tempo, and others more �free-flowing.�

The upshot here is that it�s particularly important to heara performance of a given air by a player well versed in therelevant tradition before attempting to translate the tune toyour instrument. For it is very easy indeed to err in eitherdirection � to play your airs much too straight, or with somuch rubato that no one can make any sense of them!

Accompanying this column is my guitar setting of the bynow well known fiddle air, Da Slockit Light (�The Light ThatHas Gone Out�) by the late, great Tom Anderson of Shetland.I learned the tune directly from Mr. Anderson in 1988, while Iwas observing him teach classes at the Stirling (Scotland)Fiddle School. Within the class setting, this and other airs weretaught (presumably for pedagogical purposes) in strict time,but when airs were played by �faculty� at sessions or concertsituations, a considerable degree of rubato was clearly evident.

The guitar setting here is based on the original version I learnedin 1988 (it even includes a few harmony features derived from a�second fiddle� part that Anderson taught his class, such as theA# [fret 1, string 5] leading to the B note [fret 2, string 5] in

Fall 2001 � Vol. 45 #3 � Sing Out! 59

An accomplished guitarist, banjo player and ethnomusicologist, Ken Perlman is the author of numerous books, including The FiddleMusic Of Prince Edward Island: Celtic and Acadian Tunes in Living Tradition (Mel Bay). His most recent recording is Island Boy(Wizmak #579-27). You can write to him in care of Sing Out!, P.O. Box 5460, Bethlehem, PA 18015-0460, or send e-mail toguitarti@singout.org.

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