How to Play a Celtic Guitar

Tune your guitar for Celtic music

With Scottish and Irish influences, the music from a Celtic guitar is distinctive and rare, as the playing skills have been lost over the past few decades. Employing a few simple tuning and playing tricks, you can have your guitar sounding like that of a classic Celtic solo instrument in just a few minutes time.

Instructions

Tuning

1. Tune the low E, or sixth string, down an entire step to D.

2. Tune your first two strings down a whole step each to achieve the true Celtic range: DADGAD (or D modal tuning).

3. Practice a variety of chords and arrangements to fine-tune your guitar. David Hodge, a musician and contributor for the Guitar Noise, offers many examples at that website.

Tips & Warnings

• The key to a good Celtic guitar is tuning and finger-picking. Playing the Celtic guitar properly requires plucking the strings directly with fingertips, fingernails or picks attached to each finger.

References

• Ceolas: Celtic Guitar
• Guitar Noise: A Celtic Air