Celtic
CELTIC FINGERSTYLE
Stuart Ryan shows you the slower side of the Celtic sound with a fingerstyle arrangement of a traditional Irish air, The Morning Of Life.
Eric Roche: perhaps the most musical of all the percussive acoustic guitarists
DANIEL KNIGHTON / GETTY IMAGES
Think of the words ‘Celtic Music’ and it may conjure up shocking images of terrible pan pipe albums. However, while the genre has been besmirched by such muzak it’s actually a rich and powerful vein of music that encompasses the traditional sounds of Ireland, Wales,Scotland and beyond - including the Appalachian mountains of North-East America. Celtic music has a great depth to it and it’s haunting, lyrical nature has drawn legions of guitarists towards its repertoire over the decades. In the 1960s British innovators like Davey Graham, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn mined the world of Celtic music to create inspirational arrangements and compositions from the style. And of course it’s no secret that Jimmy Page was heavily influenced by these players and the Celtic genre in general, and some of Led Zeppelin’s best-loved tracks have the Celtic sound at their heart.