Guide to accompaniment for Irish traditional music: First Draft
David James 
Nov 15, 1994

This is a first draft of my response to many mail messages on Irtrad-L
requesting help deciphering the "arcanery" of backing/ accompanying
Irish tunes on guitar or piano (mostly guitar). What I suggest is that
we (Irtrad-L) produce a document in collaboration which contains our
collective "wisdom" on the subject of "backing." This is NOT meant to
be a definitive text, only a draft for everyone to add to. If I am to
be the editor (which I really don't want to be - help, somebody!)
collecting and editing everybody's submissions will take forever, as I
am working off and Amiga onto a Unix Sun onto a DEC.VAX, and I don't
know "diddly-squat" about the last two operating systems and their
editors.

SOME KEYS AND CHORDS FOR CELTIC MUSIC

The Idea here is to find the classification that the tune you are
hearing/learning/reading comes under. Then, starting from the top,
find the key. Then go down vertically. From the top row to the bottom
are the most-often-found accompanying chords to the least-often-found
accompanying chords. The first three or four in the column will often
suffice, and the rest can be added to spice up the tune *AFTER
LEARNING IT*. My best advise to the accompanist is to *actually learn
the tune* on whatever instrument you are using. After the fourth or
fifth tune you will notice that backing chords come more easily, and
the flow of the chord changes becomes more evident. The "position" on
the instrument will often suggest a chord - for example, on a guitar
in "standard" tuning, if the notes of a phrase fall on open G and B
strings and on the third fret on the high E string, it would be a
pretty good bet to use a "G" chord for this spot. Etc.

KEY SIGNATURE:  No #/b  One #   Two #   Three # One b   Two b

Tunes in Major Keys (Ending in Doh - Ionian Mode)

Key of (Tonic)  C       G       D        A       F       Bb
Fourth Chord:   F       C       G        D       Bb      Eb
Fifth Chord:    G       D       A        E       C       F
RELATIVE MINOR: Am      Em      Bm       F#m     Dm      Gm
"Second" Minor: Dm      Am      Em       Bm      Gm      Cm
"Third" Minor:  Em      Bm      F#m      C#m     Am      Dm
"Third" Seventh:E7      B7      F#7      C#7     A7      D7


DOUBLE TONIC 1 - DORIAN/ AEOLIAN MODE

Last Note(s):   G,A     D,E     A,B      E,F#    C,D     F,G
One Tonic:      Am      Em      Bm       F#m     Dm      Gm
Two Tonic:      G       D       A        E       C       F
Major Chord:    C       G       D        A       F       Bb
"Third" Minor:  Em      Bm      F#m      C#m     Am      Dm
"Fourth" Major: F       C       G        D       Bb      Eb
Resolution:     D       A       E        B       G       F


DOUBLE TONIC 2 - MIXOLYDIAN MODE

Last Note:      D       A       E        B        G       C
One Tonic:      Dm      Am      Em       Bm       Gm      Cm
Two Tonic:      C       G       D        A        F       Bb
Relative Minor: Am      Em      Bm       F#m      Dm      Cm
Fourth Major:   F       C       G        D        Bb      Eb
Seventh:        Bb      F       C        G        Eb      Ab



By "Last Note(s) is meant not necessarily the last note on a sheet of written
music, but the final note of "rest" or "repose" on which the melody can be
brought to a close - to the ear of a traditional player, however, not
necessarily that of an "art" musician. [Breathnach]

These are the six most frequently-encountered key signatures in Celtic (and
American, for that matter) traditional music, and the chords that usually go
with them. Of the six, the ones you'll encounter most are *one, two, and three
*sharps* (D, G and A and their related "double tonic" modes). A *relative
minor* is a scale which starts one-half plus one whole step down from the
"tonic," or *doh* note of the scale. it has that "minor" sound because the
third note up in the scale is *flat*, or one-half step lower than the scale we
consider "normal." It's called "relative" because a minor scale starting on
that note has the same number of sharps and flats as the "normal" *doh-re-mi*
scale. A *third* interval is two whole steps up from the *doh* note (e.g.,
from C to E). A *fourth* interval is two whole steps and one half-step up from
*doh* (e.g., from C to F). A *fifth* interval is up one whole step higher than
a fourth (e.g., from C to G). A *seventh* interval is one whole step down from
*doh* (e.g., from C to Bb).

The chords in the columns below the Key Signatures are for playing backing or
arrangements. Start by looking at the key signature. Then look at the last
note of the "A" and "B" parts. Let's say the tune you are looking at has one
sharp (key of G). If the last note of the tune is a "G," the tune is probably
in the major key (Ionian mode) and uses the G (or "tonic"), the C (or
"fourth"), the D (Or "fifth"), and the relative minor (E minor) chords in the
set of backing chords, then also sometimes A Minor. A good example of this
type is *The Kesh Jig*. About 60% of Irish tunes are in this mode.

If the last note of a tune with one sharp is D or E, A or G, we're into the
realm of "Double Tonic." Corresponding to the Dorian or Aeolian modes, these
tunes use E-minor, D, G, and B-minor, sometimes C and A. Good examples of this
type of tune are the *Monaghan Jig* and *The Butterfly*. Use the "Double Tonic
- Dorian/Aeolian" chart. If the last note of the one-sharp tune is an "A," it
is probably a "Double Tonic - Mixolydian" mode tune, and use that chart. A
good example of this type of tune is *Star of Munster*, of *The Congress
Reel*. Use A-minor, G, E-minor, sometimes C and F. Some of these double tonic
tunes owe their origins to the bagpipes, one of the earliest instruments in
Irish music, whose nine-note scale has a flatted seventh. Also, while we're on
the subject, two more points. Irish music has only recently acquired harmonic
accompaniment - in the last part of the last century, so the rules are
flexible. And note that many Irish tunes go no lower than "D" above "middle
C." This is probably due to the uilleann pipes, flute and tin whistle, which
only go this low. Tunes that go down to "G" below "middle C" were likely
written for/by fiddlers, or accordeon players.

(Confused about modes? So am I, often! See: Breanda/n Breathnach, *Folk Music
and Dances of Ireland* - ISBN 0 85342 509 4, and *Trip to Sligo*, by Bernard
Flaherty - ISBN 0 9516407 0 4, for more discussion.)

David James and Kim Hoffmann
Tiompa/n Alley Music/ Tin Piper Music and Art
Box 11652, South Bend, Indiana, 46615, USA
djames@paladin.iusb.indiana.edu
"Have Dulcimer, Will Travel"