Acoustic Guitar, December 2000 (No 96)

Reviews, Art Edelstein

British (sic)  guitarist Frank Kilkelly has a long list of recording credits to his name, and his book Accompanying Irish Music on Guitar is written from a professional accompanist's point of view.  Kilkelly discusses a variety of techniques guitarists can employ when learning to play Irish music, and he illustrates his style with chord charts and tablature for 28 Irish tunes.  He explains how to accompany tunes effectively and provides tips on choosing the right equipment, from buying a guitar, to string gauges, picks, capos, amplification, and special guitar tunes for fast re-tuning.  Kilkelly also includes a guide to the various tunings he uses.  On the accompanying CD, which includes fiddle and piano accordion as well as Kilkelly's guitar, the tunes are first played with the guitar panned to one side and then without guitar so you can try out your newly acquired rhythm skills.  Guitarists will also benefit from this book's section on music theory, its chord diagram section with chords in four different tunings, and an extensive discography of significant Celtic accompanists.