Re: DADGAD for Dummies?

David Martel wrote:
Jack,

I'm no expert on Scottish music but find your "usual keys" to be a bit odd. The key of a song is the one the vocalist can sing in. Are you accompanying bagpipes? Why is there a usual key.
Guitarists use the capo to effect a key change frequently, so standard tuning and a capo should get you where you need to go.
DADGAD can create drones like a set of pipes. I think that's why it's popular for celtic music. I do not think it's about the key.


The tunes go in sets, and they have quite well defined keys and key changes. The group of instruments used tends to fit and restrict the possible changes - you may be able to play in any key on a fiddle, but not with the exact techniques which give playing on particular open strings their character. Smallpipes/Border pipes place you in A and D a lot of the time. There is no option of shifting to C or G because the mode will be wrong - certain notes just aren't available. Not only that, but the full range of the instrument ceases to be available too.

It is actually about the key a lot of the time.

Not many vocalists sing songs to the tunes Jack and friends play. Some of the tunes do have words, or once did.

Standard tuning, for whatever reason, creates a temperament in the already rather badly-tempered (equal temperament a starting at several different roots) guitar which clashes with natural scale instruments, or good fiddle playing. The closer the guitar gets to being something like a DADAD cittern, the less it clashes.

Of course Jack's ud can always play in any temperament or key. I know exactly why he finds the frets restricting on guitar.

David
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