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Celtic music theory

Ultimate guide to Celtic music theory for beginners 1 – scales and chords for major keys Folk Friend

Hello again, and welcome to part 1 of my guide to scales, modes, and chords for Celtic backing guitarists! In this video I’ll be looking at how a major scale (ionian mode) is formed, and how we can use this knowledge to find all the chords which will fit with a tune in a major key.

I’ll also be demonstrating my brand new invention, The Amazing Mode Wheel by Finale Guitar, which makes the whole topic much easier to understand, visualise and memorise.

You can read my blog dealing with the major scale and the chords which go with it here.

…And my complete guide to using the “Greek” modes for Celtic music here.

Here’s a link for the circle of fifths I use in the clip (thanks to Soundfly.com , a great site with lots of well-written tutorials).

If you want to get a better understanding of why the major scale is made up the intervals it is, and you’d like that information clearly presented using beautiful visualisations in a book which costs less then £5, then check out Harmonograph, one of my absolute favourites.

Watch part 2 of this video here.

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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