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MODES
Many traditional tunes are in minor keys, or, more correctly, they are modal in structure. The four most common modes found in Irish music are the Aeolian, Dorian, Mixolydian and Ionian modes. The Mixolydian mode is similar to a major key except that an additional chord, a flattened 7th chord is used. This chord is always major and is used because the flattened 7th note of the scale is used in the tune. (There are many examples of this later in the tutorial). The first three modes are what traditional musicians are referring to when they talk about minor or modal keys and, the last is what we now know as the major scale. The main difference between the Aeolian mode and the Classical minor key is that the minor key has a sharpened seventh but the Aeolian has a flattened 7th. For now it should suffice to know that when a tune is said to be in a minor key (usually e, g, a, and d minor) you should flatten the third and the seventh of the scale.
Toss the Feathers Key of E minor, dropped D tuning
This is the first minor tune. It is a simple (and common) single reel, that is, each part is played once before moving to the next. There are only two chords in the first part. I just use the index finger for the first D chord. The second part is pretty much the same except that I have added two G chords. The second G chord is played half a bar early; I like to create harmonic tension in this way. This means that the D after it is half a bar early also: this creates an interesting aural sensation because, though the expected chord is played, it isn't played where it would be expected.
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Toss the Feathers with Substitutions
I haven't changed the A part. I start the B part with an A minor chord. This gives the tune a dramatic effect and facilitates the ascending run, which comprises A minor, an added B passing note (creating A minor sus2), and a C and D chord, both using the same shape. Try not to hit the low string with your strumming hand while doing this. I play a B minor as the final chord: in the key of E minor this means that I am finishing on the dominant chord (chord V) and not the tonic (chord I). This is effective when the tune is about to repeat because it means that the E minor tonic chord isn't played in the final bar and again in the first bar; however, if the tune were finishing the B chord wouldn't give a strong sense of resolution.
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