Celtic Oud – Slip Jigs and Jigs

My relationship with Celtic music

When people encounter my name, it’s often with confusion. They have no idea where either of my names are from. My surname, “Goldrick”, is an Irish surname. I enjoy Irish Celtic music, and other European Celtic music. The musical tradition is also very similar to Middle Eastern musical tradition in that music is learned primarily by ear, and music can be interpreted rather than followed note by note from a page. The rhythms and melodic structure have some affinities to Middle Eastern music in that they use modes, and use some compound rhythms.

Back in 2006, I ended up playing some Celtic music with Amy Stephen from the Canadian band Mad Pudding, and I really enjoyed it. I was in a music store one day and decided to rent a Mandolin and teach myself how to play. It was super fun, and I learned some jigs and reels from an album she gave me.

Since then, I always did that for fun on the side until I took a job as a bard and entertainer at a historical theme park here in Vancouver. I did that for three summers, playing on average 3-4 hours of music a day. We played folk and Celtic music mostly, and some bluegrass.

I took my Cumbus to work one day, because it looked like a fretless Banjo, and started messing around playing jigs and reels on it.

Celtic Oud

It’s quite a challenge to play Celtic music on the Oud. This music was made to played on the fiddle, and sometimes you really have to stretch to hit the right notes.

The Celtic music I like use darker modes, like the pieces you’ll hear in the video.

The two slip jigs I play are called Kid on the Mountain, and The Butterfly. The jig I play at the end is Morrissey’s Jig.

If you like Celtic music and Middle Eastern music then you should check out a Catalonian ensemble called L’Ham de Foc. They are amazing, and blend all kind of European music with Middle Eastern rhythms and instruments.

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Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/