Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar

Subject: Andy Irvine - Portugese Guitar
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 02:53 PM

Does anyone know how Andy Irvine tunes that Portugese Guitar he plays?

Does he use a pick or play finger style?

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 03:08 PM

Well it's a 12 string so I assume that he tunes it in one of the various different 12 string tunings. Even with conventional tuning it will sound different because of the shorter scale.
Gitare de Fado
Giok

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 03:33 PM

If the instrument in question is a guitarra he might be using the traditional fado tuning which is: bb, aa, ee, Bb, Aa, Dd (1st to 12th string). Information from guitarra maker's site

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 05:41 PM

The reason I raise this question is having just seen some Fado in Portugal I was surprised by the finger picking technique, which looks and sounds so complex, and wondered if Andy used it or had one of his own, so to speak.

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 06:31 PM

The Portuguese use a finger pick that is a sort of extension of the finger nails, see the picture on this page Portuguese guitar
Giok

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 06:37 PM

True enough it's that finger and thumb double motion that seems a bit un - Irish. So what did Andy do that is so effective in Planxty?

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 06:56 PM

Ask Brendy he can do it to a T.
G

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 12:28 PM

Anyone?

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: RiGGy
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 01:44 PM

When he stayed at the Black Gate in Newcastle with Stefan & Liz Sobel in '71 when I was there, he tuned it regular except with the
high E dropped to a D.

Riggy

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Leadfingers
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 02:25 PM

And of course Bill Caddick played his Bottle Neck on Waiting
For The Lark !!

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: breezy
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 05:44 PM

I thought Andy used a plectrum most of the time , and flat picks.

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: GUEST,Allen
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 05:51 PM

He generaly plays mandolin in Planxty.

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Zhenya
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 02:27 PM

Andy Irvine's website


Scroll down a bit on the page this takes you to, to the section titled "My instruments" for some info.

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 02:32 PM

thanks Zhenya, that looks traly interesting

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: Brendy
Date: 22 Apr 05 - 04:12 AM

Thanks Giok :-)

Andy is contactable enough, and although his tunings are on his webpage, he wouldn't be averse to the odd e-mail showing interest in what he does. I was talking to him and Donal Lunny after the Planxty gig in Belfast in January; Andy comes over my neck of the woods regular enough.

They're nice people, so don't hesitate to contact, if you need a bit of clarification.

B.

Subject: RE: Andy Irvine - Portuguese Guitar
From: GUEST,not all strings
Date: 14 May 05 - 09:08 AM

I don't think Andy used ALL 12 strings, I thing he strung it up using only 8 strings, as there weren't too many mandolas around in the 60's to choose from. I think he tuned it gdad, as he tuned his mandolin. Maybe he tuned it like his sobell mandola, as it was two frets longer he tuned tuned it two frets up from the mandolin and capoed alot !

He also used the waldzither, usually 9 strings but never strung up the 9th !

Pictures here and more info here
portuguese mandola