Musical Knowledge
Natural Tuning and Triad Power
Power Up the Triad with Natural Tuning
For readers of thrillers and action novels, triad power derives from a mysterious and dangerous Chinese gang. For us musicians, triad power comes from the chord that is the working result of the three notes that form a triad. I would like to explore the origen of the triad in the overtone series to show how natural western … Read more
Tommy Peoples in Irish Fiddling
Tommy Peoples–a Great Influence in Irish Fiddling
About 20 years ago I was teaching an adult student with an Australian accent how to learn Irish tunes. He came to a lesson with a cassette, asking me to transpose the tune into tablature for him. The tune was played by Tommy Peoples and it was Tommy Peoples Reel, a catchy tune with lots of ornaments.
When … Read more
The Old Five String Fiddle
Get Out the Five String (Fiddle)
Getting out the old five-string means five string fiddle now. The strings give it the potential for both violin and viola. I believe that if you’ve had experience playing viola, the five string will make more sense than if you have only played violin or fiddle. It combines the tuning of the viola and the violin. It implies both. … Read more