Hi I’m new to the site. Looks like there’s lots goin on.
I’ve been learning guitar for a few years on standard tuning but recently someone put me onto DADGAD. I really like the sound of it. Does anyone know any good trad recordings of guitarists using DADGAD?
Anything with John Doyle in it: (early) Solas, Liz Carroll. He also has a CD ROM tutorial available on:
http://www.madfortrad.com/.
Does John Doyle use DADGAD? I thought he uses drop-D.
He does use Drop-D. Many of the concepts though in his video are transferrable. I’m still trying to figure out which one I prefer. DADGAD is great, however tough to really not sound the same all the time. For an example of amazing DADGAD playing, check out anything with Junji Shirota. He actually used to play with C&F member Jack Gilder, and Dale Russ. Very nice style, not too droney, almost Bouzouki like, but still definitely DADGAD. I’m not sure, but it sounds to me as if he’s mastered some of the more difficult chords so as to be able to play without a capo. Very nice, as it gives flexibility, and preserves the full character of each key on a full fretboard.
There’s an older recording called Is it Yourself? by James Kelly, Daithi Sproule and Paddy O’Brien. I think that Sproule may have been the first Irish musician to adopt DADGAD. Anyway, I really like the album but if it’s on CD I can’t find it. If you can play LPs you could keep a lookout at ebay. James Kelly has a CD out with Zan McLeod called The Ring Sessions. It’s pretty good and Zan plays DADGAD. He often teached DADGAD at various workshops. You can get that at Kelly’s web site.
The ‘Is It Yourself?’ album by Bowhand (James, Daithi and Paddy) was released together with the other Bowhand album on one CD, I think on Shanachie, called ‘Traditional Music of Ireland’. It’s available from Ossian USA for $16. A steal! See this web page: http://www.ossianusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ossian&Product_Code=01022-CD
You can also hear Daithi Sproule on the last few Altan albums, which will be the easiest to find in your local A&B. Great player - the slower tempo of Altan’s stuff makes it easier to figure out what he’s up to, chord-wise.
Thanks a good start! I’ll do a search and see if I can get those recordings. I was out last night at a session and someone told me to check out paul mcsherry. Does he play DADGAD all the time?
available for download at eMusic:
Traditional Music Of Ireland by Kelly, O’Brien and Sproule
another classic recording with Daithi Sproule:
Tommy Peoples’ The Iron Man
I much prefer DADGAD to drop D most of the time, but several really good guitarists make drop D work well for them, so it’s really a personal choice. I think it’s good to vary tunings from tune to tune but this can be a pain on stage if you only have one guitar. I like DADGAD because it gives me easy access to both unison and octave lines and not because I can meander around while strumming and still appear to be sort of with it.
DADGAD can encourage bad habits. To get a feel for just what DADGAD can sound like in the hands of a master and not a droning sludge merchant, listen to Pierre Bensusan and the guitarists he promotes. Adapt his melodic ideas to backup and do avoid the droney, meandering chord stuff. Drones are OK used tastefully but that requires great restraint.
wow, cool name for a band! the Droning Sludge Merchants… 
Ta rh some lovely stuff goin on there- will be gettin the learnin cap on now for the next few hours.
I can see you know who I’m talking about.
Aidan Brennan (w/ Kevin Burke, Johnny B. Connolly, and numerous others) is your man. He told me he has a DADGAD web site, but I can’t find it. I prefer DADGAD to dropped D on most ITrad. Another great one, yet seldom heard, is Helen Bommarito. She came up with Skip Parente (Night Noise) to a party a few years ago and blew everybody away with her DADGAD guitar.
Impressive biog from Aidan Brennan - would like to hear a sample! Tryin to get a perspective on lots of styles. Daithi Sproule’s playin is fantasic - wow! Did a search on that guy McSherry and found a few sample MP3s as well with a band at first light! - I wanna do that!!!
Totally hooked
Zan McLeod is one of the giants on whose shoulders the rest of us stand. His album with James Kelly, The Ring Sessions, is worth a lot of attention and study. And Zan was influenced a lot by Michael O Domhnaill, most (if not all) of whose stuff with the Bothy Band was in DADGAD. You could do a lot worse than getting familiar with both those players.
Good point…
Tut tut,
I’m surprised at you all. A conversation about Guitar playing and no mention of GOD - Arty McGlynn http://www.taramusic.com/biogs/artybg.htm
What’s wrong with you people?
Arty doesn’t use DADGAD.
Micheal O Domhnaill. Yeah. First heard him on the Providence album with Kevin Burke. I remember thinking that I would love to play backup like that.