Tripping Up the Stairs on tenor guitar

This is the traditional Irish tune "Tripping Up the Stairs" played on a tenor guitar tuned DGDG. Sorry for the weird a/v delay.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• music
• world
• irish
• traditional
• tenor
• guitar
• tripping
• up
• stairs
• reel

[thudor1]

Years ago, I came upon a tenor guitar in a music store in New Jersey. It was the first one I'd ever seen and until then I didn't know they existed or what their general application in music was. The model I saw was kind of old but not that expensive. If I'd known back then about its prominence in Irish music, I definitely would have taken a chance on it! Thanks for posting this. It was cool. Now I'm gonna see about finding one!

[tantoonie0]

While I wholeheartedly endorse picking up a tenor guitar, there really not all that common, in Irish music or otherwise. I'm the only tenor guitar player I know in any of the Irish trad circles I run in. You'll be an oddity, make no mistake, but a damn great sounding one.

[maddieniamh]

Hey, sounds good! I play tenor banjo and mandolin. is the tenor guitar still tuned GDEA before I buy one?

[tantoonie0]

Thanks! The tenor guitar is actually typically tuned CGDA (just like a viola or mandola). I believe you can restring it to GDAE, however. Trust me, if you can play the t. banjo and mandolin, you'll be fine, though it may take some getting used to playing in a session in CGDA, especially since the tenor guitar doesn't project exceptionally well as a melodic instrument.

[dvenne31]

Very nice tenor vids.  You have a nice light touch, very clean. Are you tuned to guitar tuning or some other variant? I have an old Martin tenor that I don't use much.

[tantoonie0]

Thanks, man. The tenor in this video is tuned to a modal tuning, DGDG. You should totally get back into playing tenor, especially if you've got one by such a nice make. Try this tuning; it sounds really cool.

[JumpingLlamas100]

dude thats great. On zeban.com it shows how to play tripping up the stairs on dadgad guitar and tin whistle. Anyway keep playing

[AliAndIkeMay]

you are absolutely amazing...i play violin and i wish i could play half that good!

[Skipster18]

Nice job. Look up one of the original Mickey Mouse Club episodes. The adult Mouseketeer, Jimmy, often played the tenor guitar in kind of a swing style. The Kingston Trio folk group included a tenor guitar.

[Dracapalley]

Great!!

[mirekpatek]

Very nice!

Greeting from another DGdg guy (mirekpatek dotcom).

[TheSuperAnarchy]

Gah! amazing! Lighting hands lol

[MyStrangeBrew]

Sweet sounding little guitar!

[karlsenior369]

@tantoonie0 - vid sounds great :0)

I had no idea tenor guitars existed until recently. I got an Aria AF and 'Chicago' tuned it like my Baritone Uke. It sounds fabulous. I think one of the wonderful advantages to the tenor guitar is that if you play viola/mandola you can tune it the same, if you play tenor banjo you can tune it the same as that, or if like me the baritone uke you can tune it the same. Whatever 4 string instrument you play you can tune it like it and get a guitar sound :0)

[ravenbluesky]

marry me

[seannolanfolk]

Your playing is exellant .