Aoife Scott - What you do with what you got

Fine backing for a wonderful song. Aoife Scott, born into the legendary Black Family, her mother is Frances Black, her aunt Mary. In spring she started working on her solo cd, in summer she became singer of the band "The Outside Track", a fantastic band, currently touring with the Irish Folk Festival 2013. Yesterday I saw them in Karlsruhe, fantastic show.

http://www.aoifescott.com
http://www.theoutsidetrack.com



  qrcg

James Fagan

James Fagan plays a guitar shaped bouzouki most of the time. On the first video he plays the bouzouki of Andy Clarke, which was made by Andy Manson. On the website of his Project "The James Brothers" you can find his bio, which I include here: (I hope you don't mind, James)
  http://www.thejamesbrothers.co.uk/bio_jamesfagan.php

 • Born Canberra 1972, son of Margaret and Bob Fagan. Younger sister is Kate Fagan. Together they are "The Fagans", one of Australia's best-known folk bands for 30 years.

 • Met Nancy Kerr in 1995 and formed a duo that has become on of the most popular and respected duos on the UK circuit, winners of BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Duo (2003 and 2011). Together they have toured in the UK, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

 • Main instruments - Vocals (Spiral Earth Male Vocalist of the Year in 2012). Bouzouki - James plays a Sobell guitar-shaped bouzouki.

 • Current projects: Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, The James Brothers, Melrose Quartet, Cara Dillon Band, The Fagans, Kerr Fagan Harbron, Glorystrokes

 • Record labels: Fellside (1997-2008) Navigator (2010-present) • Main musical interests: Singing, arrangement, composition, accompaniment

 • James is a sought-after session player and has appeared on albums by Martin Simpson, Eliza Carthy, Cara Dillon, Brian Finnegan, Spiers and Boden, Andy Irvine, John Kirkpatrick, Alistair Hulett. *

James teaches voice and bouzouki to undergraduate students on the Newcastle University Traditional Music Degree course.

 




One of his projects is the duo Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, where James sings and plays bouzouki and Nancy plays fiddle and sings, too. I post some of the many videos you can find on youtube.

 



http://kerrfagan.com

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Andy Clarke - Bonny Irish Maid

I already posted a video from Andy some time ago (look here): http://irish-bouzouki.blogspot.de/2013/05/andy-clarke.html Now he wrote me an E-Mail in which he suggested to put up his new video. So it's a pleasure for me to have it here on my blog. Fine singing and playing. Love this song.

Celtic Fonts

The website with celtic fonts I linked to some years ago is no longer available. So here is another website with lots of celtic fonts for free. Have fun! http://www.fontspace.com/category/celtic

Build any chord, anywhere

This is an interesting concept by a man called Frank Geiger. Made for instruments tuned in fifth. He writes, that it doesnt require reading music, knowledge of key signatures or chord spellings. Looks interesting. If you try it please comment, if it is useful for players of bouzouki. http://www.calgaryuke.com/ukerichard/tenor/Chord%20Builder%20For%20Fifths%20Tuned%20Instruments.pdf

Bouzouki Chord Chart and Fretboard Poster GDAD Tuning on ebay

This is what I found on ebay today. A poster containing the fretboard of a bouzouki GDAD tuning and some chords for $6.95 or 5,26€. Maybe this could be helpful to someone? In my opinion the price is much too high. Of course it is a good idea to put the info on a poster, so you can have a look at it if in doubt, especially for the fretboard. I did this for myself years ago and it still hangs on my wall. But the few chords are of no great help. In my opinion no chordchart is of any help for the bouzouki, because you seldom play full chords on the bouzouki. You need to have several different shapes for each chord and try everytime which one fits best into the structure of the other chords you play. But decide for yourself.

Tim O'Brien On Mandolin Warmup Exercises

Tim O'Brien speaks about Mandolin Warmup Exercises. What works on mandolin must work on bouzouki also. So have a look at it and decide for yourselves. By the way, some years ago Tim produced a DVD where he explains some of his techniques on Mandolin and Bouzouki. If you don't know it already have a look at it. I bought it some time ago and I think it's great. http://www.amazon.com/VHS-The-Mandolin-Bouzouki-Tim-OBrien/dp/B00021TDRI Introduction to his DVD

Irish Bouzouki made by Lewis Santer, played by Brendan O'Regan

Brendan O'Regan worked with the Waterboys, Mary Black, De Dannan, Mairtin O'Connor and many others.In this video he plays a  bouzouki made by Lewis Santer, Kinvara, Ireland. The back and sides are California Black Acacia, the top is Sitka spruce, the scale length is 25.4". What a fantastic musician!

DAMANTA Live - Songs on Irish Bouzouki

A man, a bouzouki and lots of great songs. Watch this and his other videos.




Here are some links to his music and his band Damanta

http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Damanta
https://soundcloud.com/elegwen-maoile-in
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/damanta-live-irish-folk
http://www.myspace.com/elegwen
http://www.emusic.com/album/damanta/the-drunken-priest-and-the-ghostly-hymns-of-autumn/13713523/

Fleadh - Finest Irish Folk from Germany

No bouzouki with this band, but nevertheless worth a look at. Fleadh, in it's present line-up was formed in 2007. Now with their second CD out they have found their own way in Irish Folk.

With the recruitment of vocalist Saoirse Mhór and fiddle player Marcus Eichenlaub they received the needed 'breath of fresh air' to move the band forward.
The two Franks and Marcus are avid sessionists, regularly playing in the many Irish Pubs around the Pfalz area. Regular visits to Ireland keep them constantly in superb playing form.

Fleadh seek to combine this section of the band with the vocalist/singer approach of Saoirse. Saoirse gets around Germany too - busking on the streets and at Street Artist Festivals in major German cities.
Tommy is the heartbeating drive on guitar in Fleadh. Intricate detailed arrangements and pulsating rhythm weaving through jigs, reels and songs.

Working as an Irish Folk Band Fleadh do not wish to leave the path for Middle Age Music or the all too eminent Acid / Punk / Neo Folk. Fleadh want to retain the respect for Irish music and yet seek to mix styles and ryhthm but still stay within the boundaries of Folk. Singing and playing. That’s Fleadh!

Look at: http://www.fleadh.de and listen to their cds.

And finally, if you look at the tunebook section on their website you will be presented with a large numer of well known session tunes, often with chords for accompanyment.
Here's the direct link:

http://www.fleadh.de/tunebook/trad/index.html


Members of the band are (stolen from their website ;-):

Saoirse Mhór: Gesang, Gitarre und Percussion other projects: www.saoirsemhor.com contact: saoirse@fleadh.de

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Thomas Gorny: Gesang und Gitarren other projects: Space Debris contact: tommy@fleadh.de

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Frank Weber: Uilleann Pipes, Whistles und Bodhrán other projects: Rhine Valley Céilí Band, Wizard's Walk contact: frank@fleadh.de

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Frank McDürschner: Gesang, Mandoline, Banjo, Harmonica other projects: Divin' Duck, Dissetied contact: frankd@fleadh.de

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Marcus 'Mr. Oakleaf' Eichenlaub: Fiddle contact: marcus@fleadh.de