{"id":127936,"date":"2022-03-30T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/?p=127936"},"modified":"2023-05-31T19:59:55","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T02:59:55","slug":"tips-on-arranging-celtic-harp-songs-for-fingerstyle-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/tips-on-arranging-celtic-harp-songs-for-fingerstyle-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips on Arranging Celtic Harp Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>It\u2019s not every day that a slow harp instrumental carries a biting political message. Turlough O\u2019Carolan, the blind Irish harper who lived from 1670 to 1738, pulled it off with \u201cSquire Wood\u2019s Lament on the Refusal of His Halfpence.\u201d Squire William Wood represents the English overlords who in 1722 attempted to impose a particular halfpence coin upon the Irish. The scheme was widely unpopular in Ireland and the coin was eventually recalled. O\u2019Carolan played his part in the resistance by composing this exquisite tune\u2014and it is a truly wonderful melody for the guitar. Allow me a few general arranging comments before we get to my interpretation of this classic Celtic harp piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9EqmoptwEas?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;start=20&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>&#8220;Squire Woods Lament&#8221; on Harp<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"maximum-flow\">Maximum Flow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In arranging Celtic harp tunes for guitar, I generally look for a tuning that does not place the melody too low in the bass strings, and which allows for a bunch of melody notes to be played on the open strings, to facilitate harp-like effects. So I play \u201cSquire Wood\u2019s Lament\u201d in open G, with a low C (from standard tuning, strings 1 and 5 are lowered a whole step, to D and G, respectively, while string 6 is lowered two steps). In addition, I use a capo at the third fret, for a more dulcet sound; this transposes the music from the key of G major to Bb.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within this or any other open tuning, I generally want maximum flow. Welsh guitarist Luke Edwards had an excellent <a href=\"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/fingerstyle-guitar-in-welsh-and-celtic-music\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Woodshed lesson in the January\/February 2022 issue of <em>AG<\/em><\/a>, where he discussed a flow-enhancing technique called <em>campanella<\/em>. I use the technique extensively in my harp-tune arrangements and am tickled to learn that it has a fancy foreign name.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Campanella comes into play when we want the hypnotic effect of feeling notes blending into each other. By choosing a different string for our next melody note, we allow the prior note to live on even after it has left center stage. This is ubiquitous in harping. Take the first three notes of the melody to \u201cSquire Wood\u2019s Lament\u201d\u2014<em>do<\/em>, <em>re<\/em>, and <em>mi<\/em>. Sure, I could have played these all on the same string, the open G, followed by the second and fourth frets. The notes would have been correct, but the <em>do<\/em> would die before the<em> re<\/em> appeared, and the <em>re <\/em>would have been snuffed out upon entry of the <em>mi<\/em>. There is, of course, a place for such violence in guitar music. But not here. So my solution is to play those three melody notes on adjacent strings, as shown in <strong>Example 1<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mind you,campanella is not always the easiest way to deliver the melody. In learning \u201cSquire Wood\u2019s Lament\u201dyou may find that your fretting fingers sometimes cross over the double yellow line and collide with what should have been a ringing string. Prior to recording the arrangement for my most recent album, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3u3Hlt0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Once Upon a Harp<\/a><\/em>, I had to do lots of left-hand practice before I could avoid such collisions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another thing I do to help the flow in Celtic harp arrangements is not have my bass strings always fall squarely on the beat. For instance, in the second bar of <strong>Example 2<\/strong>, a bass note is found not on beat 1 but its \u201cand.\u201d If the thumb is constantly playing notes on the beat, you run the risk of sounding like you\u2019re playing a march, which wouldn\u2019t be appropriate for this style. You also don\u2019t want to overdo playing on the offbeats, as that can be disorienting\u2014and, in the worst cases nausea-inducing\u2014for the listener.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bad-news-barres\">Bad News Barres<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In C G D G B D, you might be tempted to play the C chord as a full fifth-fret barre. And that sure would be the easiest solution, rather than to scrunch up your first, second, third, and fourth fingers at the fifth fret, as I do here. This brings me to a general pet peeve of mine\u2014using barre chords in arranging harp music for guitar. If you don\u2019t believe me, give it a try. In <strong>Example 3<\/strong>, ignore the fingerings and bar the C chord at fret 5. A barre here not only sounds wrong but prevents you from executing those gentle ornaments that I demonstrate in the video.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"subtle-woven-textures\">Subtle Woven Textures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>My harp-style arrangements tend to feature a good amount of what I call the Scottish snap\u2014a very fast but smooth pull-off from a fretted note to the primary melody note on an open string. Try this technique, shown in <strong>Example 4<\/strong>, repeatedly until you get the hang of it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those of you who know my work will be familiar with the call-and-response texture I often use in Celtic arrangements. <strong>Example 5 <\/strong>shows a brief example. Notice that I maximize the ringing of the open treble strings while I add runs on the lower strings. This is not a bold interruption, but something that is subtly woven into the texture of the piece. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another textural device I use in arranging this music is fretting-hand tapping, in which I sound certain notes by hammering them on, while doing nothing with my right hand. As shown in <strong>Example 6<\/strong>, I first pick the open third and fourth strings, then hammer on to the second fret with my second and third fingers, sliding those notes up to the fourth fret and then pulling off to the open strings. I also hammer on a couple of bass notes without picking them, as indicated by the curved lines in the notation. The benefit of this technique is that it provides a nice, gentle sound for harp-style arrangements.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve got all of the above techniques and concepts under your fingers, try my arrangement of \u201cSquire Wood\u2019s Lament,\u201d an abridged version of which is notated in <strong>Example 7<\/strong> and demonstrated in the video. Bear in mind, this being a slow tune does not make it an easy one, at least not the way it is presented here. Also, the piece wants to breathe, so be free with rhythmic deceleration when the mood suggests it. And remember that this a lament, not a march; accordingly, avoid anything close to a robotic feel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take your time in learning \u201cSquire Wood\u2019s Lament,\u201d as the interplay between melody, counter-melody, and bass make this a challenging arrangement. But the payoff\u2014a very special 18th-century harp tune that will soothe you and your listeners for years to come\u2014will be huge if you put in the hours to make it truly flow from your fingers. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Steve Baughman, the author of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/collections\/new\/products\/celtic-songs-for-fingerstyle-guitar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Celtic Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a><em> and <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/gospel-songs-for-fingerstyle-guitar?_pos=1&amp;_sid=d0be126be&amp;_ss=r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gospel Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a><em>, is a San Francisco Bay Area\u2013based fingerstyle guitarist and banjoist. His new album, <\/em>Once Upon a Harp<em>, is available at <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/celticguitar.com\" target=\"_blank\">celticguitar.com<\/a> and Bandcamp.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?ssl=1\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"761\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?resize=761%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Celtic Harp on Fingerstyle Guitar lesson music notation\" class=\"wp-image-127940\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?resize=761%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 761w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?resize=223%2C300&amp;ssl=1 223w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?resize=768%2C1033&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?resize=446%2C600&amp;ssl=1 446w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-1-7.png?w=1079&amp;ssl=1 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 761px) 100vw, 761px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"758\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?resize=758%2C1024&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Celtic Harp on Fingerstyle Guitar lesson music notation sheet 2\" class=\"wp-image-127941\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?resize=758%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 758w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?resize=222%2C300&amp;ssl=1 222w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?resize=768%2C1037&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?resize=444%2C600&amp;ssl=1 444w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT.png?w=1079&amp;ssl=1 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?ssl=1\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?resize=1024%2C254&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Celtic Harp on Fingerstyle Guitar lesson music notation sheet 3\" class=\"wp-image-127942\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?resize=1024%2C254&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?resize=300%2C75&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?resize=768%2C191&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?resize=600%2C149&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AG333-WS-FINGERSTYLE-CELTIC-HARP-EX-7-CONT-2.png?w=1079&amp;ssl=1 1079w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"display: inline-block; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; margin: -5px 5% 0px 5%;\"><hr><a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/collections\/back-issues\/products\/no-333-march-april-2022\"><br><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 150px; height: 198px; margin: 0px 20px 10px 0px;\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/001_333_Cover-150px.jpg?w=1290&#038;ssl=1\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><\/a>\n<p style=\"font-family: sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 0px;\">This article originally appeared in the <a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/collections\/back-issues\/products\/no-333-march-april-2022\">March\/April 2022<\/a> issue of <em>Acoustic Guitar<\/em> magazine.<\/p>\n<hr><\/div> <br clear=\"all\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are some tips for arranging and playing Celtic harp tunes on fingerstyle acoustic guitar, using the piece &#8220;Squire Woods Lament&#8221; as an example.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":127944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"Here are some tips for arranging and playing Celtic harp tunes on fingerstyle acoustic guitar, using the piece \"Squire Woods Lament\" as an example.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1654],"tags":[1376],"ppma_author":[1598],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/STEVE-BAUGHMAN-FINGERPICKING-HANDS.jpg?fit=750%2C422&ssl=1","authors":[{"term_id":1598,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"steve-baughman","display_name":"Steve Baughman","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_0024.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_0024.jpg"},"user_url":"http:\/\/www.celticguitar.com\/","last_name":"","first_name":"","description":"Fingerstyle guitarist and clawhammer banjoist Steve Baughman is the author of <i><a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/gospel-songs-for-fingerstyle-guitar\">Gospel Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a><\/i> and <i><a href=\"https:\/\/store.acousticguitar.com\/products\/celtic-songs-for-fingerstyle-guitar\">Celtic Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar<\/a><\/i>."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127936"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127936"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138490,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127936\/revisions\/138490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127936"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acousticguitar.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=127936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}