The original transcription of “Mo Ghille Mear” as it appeared in Master Anthology of Fingerstyle Guitar Solos, Volume 1 was woefully inadequate, with lots of notes missing from both the standard notation and tab. I spent many hours fine-tuning the music with a Tascam Guitar Trainer CD player that slows tempos without changing the pitch, and with my classic guitar tuned in DADGAD with a capo in place at the first fret. It was my first experience with DADGAD tuning and I found it totally rewarding.
Oddly enough, this is not a 100% solo arrangement as the book’s title would indicate. Even so, the tune itself and William Coulter’s playing of it justified my revisions and its continued inclusion in the anthology.
The music has been corrected in the most recent edition of the book, but will undergo additional refinements in the next edition, already incorporated by hand in the Guitar Sessions version. I hope readers find time to work the tune up for a St. Patrick’s Day performance.
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