I saw this for the first time this evening. I was keen to share it, it’s a fine thing, indeed. Apologies if it’s old news to anyone – sometimes a song just catches you…well, you all know…
A fine thing…
by 29 Comments
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
A fine song indeed Sir. I have me a Karine Album somewhere, I must look her up again. Thank you for sharing
Excellent.
Quick question for the folkies: what is she playing? Four-string guitar? Guitar-shaped bouzouki with four single strings instead of four pairs?
She’s jumped on the Uke bandwagon, I reckon.
That’s a sizeable uke, if so…
According to uker daughter, they come in 6 sizes: baritone, bass, concert, piccolo, soprano & tenor.
Jings! I’ve learned something, the day hasn’t been wasted!
@fentonsteve – sorry, I meant to ask – what is the “standard” size, as used by sundry ex-Beatles and Tiny Tim?
Tenor, I think.
That is a tenor guitar, not a ukulele – I think it is tuned like a tenor banjo.
Is that not a tenor guitar? Looks and sounds like one
It is. Tuned GDAE.
Splendid – thanks, guys. So is that same tuning as a bouzouki? Tuned in fifths like a bassier mandolin?
Yes, same as an octave mandolin and Irish bouzouki.
More about the tenor guitar here (if you want it):
Or search for Seth Lakeman on YouTube; when he’s not playing the fiddle he’s a keen tenor guitar player:
I have a Martin LXM tenor and it is a thing of great beauty (although a bit light on yer actual wood!).
Glad to see Karine keeping the John Martyn Songbook alive and thriving.
A wonderful song and she sings it beautifully.
Vince Black was right. She is playing ” a Martin Tenor guitar tuned CGCG”.
Someone suggested that in the YT comments and Ms Polwart herself confirmed the fact. Yes, she reads what people write about her.
That’ll teach me – I should look in the YT comments for info like this…
Ah! the repository of all human wisdom 😉
…perhaps the suppository of all human wisdom…
Up yer bum!
To be honest @fitterstoke, I think it’s pretty rare for the artist to join in the discussion on YT in this way. But amidst all the chaff, you do sometimes find comments by folk who really know what they are talking about or who share experiences.
That explains why I could not figure out what chords she was playing! Normally these things are in fifths…
CGCG is in 5ths.
Up to a point, Lord Copper. C is a fifth below G but a 4th above it.
True fifths from C would be C G D A.
Pair of 5ths maybe. You want 5ths these are great. Top two strings in unison and never quite in tune whatever you do so have that slight sitar vibe.
Bill Bailey sometimes plays a four-stringed instrument, which he asks people to name. It looks like a bouzouki, but isn’t, and I rather irritatingly can’t now remember its name.
Zaaz? Saaz? Zaar? Sounded very nice, whatever.
Turkish Saz.
Thank you!
Her Scottish Classics covers album is a Good Thing