In this lesson Tony McManus shows that, even at an introductory level, there's much more to Celtic music than the slow airs and O'Carolan harp tunes that are so frequently arranged for guitar. With a bit of work the student can quickly be engaged in the core music of this repertoire. Tony takes us on a gentle but detailed exploration of the ornamentation- rolls, grace notes, triplets etc.- needed to really get inside this music. 

Much of the Celtic idiom is dance music and is defined by the contrasting rhythms of reels, jigs, slip jigs etc. The Lark's March is a great example of a simple yet attractive Irish jig. Tullochgorum is likewise a well known Scottish Strathspey (a dance unique to Scotland). Often overlooked is the Celtic music from outside of Ireland and Scotland and here Tony teaches us one of his favorite Breton tunes; a Wedding Gavotte - the structure of which is very common in the music of this region. 

Not to be overlooked, of course, are the slow airs and O'Carolan tunes! Turlough O'Carolan's (1670- 1738) music forms a unique facet of the Irish repertoire. All that survives of the harpists work are single line melodies so the harmonic accompaniment is a blank slate. Here we are shown a very accessible arrangement of what is thought to be his first composition - Si Bheag Si Mhor. Also included is the enigmatic air Paddy's Rambles Through The Park- a tune from the Donegal fiddle tradition associated with Johnny Doherty, a key figure in that music. 

By working through this material the student will have a grasp of the variety and beauty of music that has been played in an unbroken chain for centuries. 

Titles include: Paddy's Ramble Through The Park, I'm Asleep, Don't Awaken Me, Si Bheag Si Mhor, The Lark's March, Tullochgorum, Breton Wedding March and The Butterfly 

104 minutes • Level 2 • Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD

Tony McManus is known across the world as a leading exponent of the guitar and an innovator in its use in Celtic music. But he is also known for constantly exploring music beyond the boundaries of the Celtic world. Though his background in traditional Irish and Scottish music has shaped an original approach to the acoustic guitar, from the beginning of his career he has applied that approach to a diverse body of work from an African anthem to a Charles Mingus elegy and more recently the work of composers such as J.S. Bach. 

In this lesson Tony takes us through his various approaches to the “other” music in his repertoire; for example how the ornamentation techniques he derived from listening to Irish fiddlers can be applied to an ancient Jewish hymn. Some of these arrangements involve non-standard tunings such as Dropped D and DADGAD. An introduction to the ideas behind these tunings is included. 

Tony's musical journey has always been an interesting ride. Here's an insight into the ideas that make the voyage so interesting. 

Titles include: Gnossienne #1, Shalom Aleichem, Wonderful World, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Goldberg Variations Aria, and N'Kosi Sikelele Africa

120 minutes • Level 3 • Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD

"On this DVD I have collected some tunes that have one thing in common- are all a regular part of my performance repertoire. Some, like The Sleeping Tune, La Que`teux Trembley and Sandizan have been staples of my live work for many years and some, like Kalyana and Le Tourment, are more recent additions. All of these are tunes that speak to me as a musician- loudly enough that I'd want to arrange them for solo guitar and as such they are not exercises or technical studies. They are destinations, goals set with musical value in and of themselves. These arrangements involve the techniques I have been using for years to articulate traditional tunes and while some of these are new compositions they are all within the traditional idiom.

In this collection we'll use the well-known DADGAD tuning, hopefully showing why it's so popular in Celtic and traditional music. We will also use CGCGCD or C Sus2 tuning for some of the tunes. This tuning gives rise to some beautiful chord voicings that suit the essence of this music. We will look at triplets with ring middle and index fingers, my thumb technique for playing triplets on the wound strings and many other ways of bringing the guitar to this music in an authentic way. 

These are not pieces for beginners but neither should they be out of the reach of an intermediate player with a bit of dedication to bringing these pieces to life." - Tony McManus

A detailed tab/music booklet is included as a PDF file on the DVD. Each tune is taught phrase by phrase and played slowly on a split-screen

Titles include: The Sleeping Tune, Roslyn Castle, Kalyana, Le Tourment, Will You Come Home With Me, La Re`ve Du Que`teux and Sandizan

115 minutes - Level 3 - Detailed tab/music PDF file on the DVD