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Folk Friend meets Duncan Cameron – tunings, Canadian folk music styles, accompanying songs and more!

Last week I had the pleasure of talking to Duncan Cameron, a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist and Youtuber from Ontario, Canada. We had a long chat about such wide-ranging subjects as tunings used for Irish and Celtic backing guitar, the styles of classic guitarists like John Doyle, Paul Brady and even Django Reinhardt, the differences between the various styles of folk music prevalent in Canada, how to accompany Irish songs and loads loads more!

 

Here are some links to Duncan Cameron’s social media and music:

Website: https://duncancameron.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/duncancameronmusic

 

Albums:

The Whistling Thief:

UK: https://amzn.to/3iZ9Z5h

Canada: https://amzn.to/2H0eHmj

USA: https://amzn.to/2SU6CC8

 

Blue Drag (Pierre Schryer):

UK: https://amzn.to/2H0vw0e

Canada: https://amzn.to/3lLXCve

USA: https://amzn.to/372c1za

 

Bandcamp: https://duncancameron.bandcamp.com/releases

Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC8c0kZG5rnxGvJPwaYvBkg

 

John Doyle’s guitar accompaniment DVD is available here:

UK: https://amzn.to/3lNsWd4

Canada: https://amzn.to/2GO0JUD

USA: https://amzn.to/318LRqO

 

Here are Amazon links where you can buy all of the music we mentioned in this video. These are affiliate links- if you buy through any of them I receive a small commission which enables me to continue to run this channel. Please make sure that you click the correct one for your country otherwise I won’t receive any commission- thank you in advance for supporting Folk Friend!

Barde:

UK: https://amzn.to/3nKI8tf

Canada: https://amzn.to/3k0YLyy

USA: https://amzn.to/3lF58HW

 

La Bottine Souriante

UK: https://amzn.to/3155Syx

Canada: https://amzn.to/3lJA5Ld

USA: https://amzn.to/3nNYfWG

 

Pete Seeger:

UK: https://amzn.to/3k0WAuH

Canada: https://amzn.to/33WAvrN

USA: https://amzn.to/3iZ0piy

 

Tony Mc Manus

UK: https://amzn.to/373hHJ7

Canada: https://amzn.to/34UCCeW

USA: https://amzn.to/371D1ig

 

Martin Hayes and Denis Cahill

UK: https://amzn.to/3jX08yd

Canada: https://amzn.to/3lQtMpr

USA: https://amzn.to/2ItKmNn

 

Paul Brady and Andy Irvine:

UK: https://amzn.to/36ZG4rg

Canada: https://amzn.to/373LhOF

USA: https://amzn.to/2ItOlJQ

 

Ewan McColl

UK: https://amzn.to/2IqZSJL

Canada: https://amzn.to/35bWtqb

USA: https://amzn.to/33WYxTl

 

Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger (only available in UK)

UK: https://amzn.to/315kDRA

 

The Dubliners

UK: https://amzn.to/2FwC6uW

Canada: https://amzn.to/373P5iV

USA: https://amzn.to/3nPaW3H

 

Liz Carroll and John Doyle

UK: https://amzn.to/317QMYT

Canada: https://amzn.to/3jY7tO3

USA: https://amzn.to/313NDJA

 

Finally, here is a clip from the work of Dr Aindrias Hirt which gives further information on his theory on the “natural scale”.

Dr Aindrias Hirt: https://otago.academia.edu/AindriasHirt

(Extract from “The European Folk MUsic Scale- A New Theory”, paper by Dr. A Hirt available at the link above):

“What I found is the following. If a trained art musician hears a natural trumpet playing in the lower range (see Figure 15: G3, C4, E4, G4, A4, C5), that musician will classify the tune as tetratonic (four notes per octave; that is, four notes ascending including and starting on C4, and then the octave, C5). If the tune happens to rise to D5, the diatonically trained musician will then assume that D4 is in existence (a note an octave lower)25 and declare that the tune is pentatonic (missing F4 and B4, but having five notes per octave; that is, five notes starting at C4 and then the octave, C5); this implies that the pitches present are G3, C4, D4, E4, G4, A4, C5, D5, when in fact D4 does not appear in the tune at all. A similar erroneous assumption may occur again on a different note (F5) as a shepherd’s trumpet ascends in pitch. A tune that would be classified as pentatonic (missing all Fs and Bs), is declared to be hexatonic once F5 is found; this is because the trained art musician will assume that the lower octave F4 is in existence. To explain this last point in more detail, examine a tune which scholars have classified as pentatonic (having C4, (D4), E4, G4, A4, C5, D5, E5) until the tune ascends to an existing F5/F♯5. Once the tune includes F5/F♯5, scholars will assume that the lower octave F4 exists, and the tune is then declared to be hexatonic (missing B4, but not F4), resulting in a scale of: C4, (D4), E4, (F4), G4, A4, C5, D5, E5, F5, etc. This classification occurs even though both D4 and F4 do not exist. Simply put, because diatonically trained musicians think in terms of seven notes per octave and “octave equivalency,” it has never occurred to them that they were dealing with a system that was not octave-based.”

If you're just starting out in the world of Celtic backing guitar, my books can help! They cover everything you need to know about theory, structure, rhythms, chords, fingerstyle and much more... Check them all out here

If you'd like to learn how to play by ear then there's really no substitute for an experienced professional teacher. Click here to book your free trial lesson today!

If you would like a complete guide to folk backing on the guitar then you really need my book Backing Guitar Techniques For Traditional Celtic Music, which tells you all the music theory, strumming patterns, chord shapes and everything else you need to become a great backing guitarist and
My invention The Amazing Mode Wheel can show you all the notes and chords which fit in any scale used in Celtic music.

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