SO YOU WANT TO PLAY…

 

 …ENGLISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC

Usually a 2-row diatonic instrument is best to start on. Don’t make the mistake of thinking a 1-row instrument is easier to play. They are specialist instruments, which in the right hands sound wonderful, but are not advised as a starting instrument,  their limitations far outweighing their advantages, especially when it comes to joining in with other musicians at sessions etc. In England, D/G is the most popular tuning, whilst G/C and to a lesser extent C/F are  the preferred keys in the rest of Europe. And don’t think that a D/G is limited to those keys. It is possible to play to a greater or lesser extent in D, G, A, E minor, B minor and C, although the really good players can find more.

 

Very cheap instruments are available as starting instruments, but  most people can see just how quickly these are put together and opt instead for either the basic Czech-manufactured Delicia, the Weltmeister Laurel or better still the more popular Hohner Pokerwork. The Pokerwork is still the prefered choice of many musicians, notably John Kirkpatrick who firmly recommends this as the best instrument for English music.

 

With proper dedicated practice, progression can be quite quick, and you will be surprised just how soon you could be sitting in one of the many informal pub sessions that are to be found at most English Folk Festivals, or  perhaps joining in with the local morris side.

 

…IRISH TRADITIONAL MUSIC

As a point of interest, it is a commonly held belief that it is easier to play Irish music on a diatonic than it is English style on a chromatic. It is perfectly possible to play Irish Traditional Music to a very high standard on the D/G diatonic melodeon;  in fact until the 1940’s and early 1950’s the D/G and 1-rows were highly favoured. If you want to sound like one of the older traditionalists, a diatonic is the one to choose.

It wasn’t until players like Paddy O’Brien came along that  the modern Irish accordion style developed. They realised that switching to the B/C system had several advantages. Firstly, the fact that the C row comprises of all natural notes and the B row is all sharps and flats. By using a combination of notes from each row and playing across the rows, more keys were available and a smoother bellows action acheived. Secondly, the grace notes, triplets, runs and fills etc which are characteristic of modern Irish music are more readily available and fall to hand easier than on a diatonic. Another difference is in the bass work. This differs from the English bouncy rythmic style, which depends on changing bellows direction to play notes in the same direction of the bellows as their accompanying chords. Irish music on the other hand has very little bass accompanyment, placing more importance on  the melody notes and ornamentations, rather than making sure these notes fall in a particular directions to make the basses fit.

The Irish style is still evolving, and other keys are finding favour, especially C#/D, with exponents such as Jackie Daly popularising this tuning. Basically, the aim is to be able to play in the main fiddle  keys of D, G and A and relative minors. Using the C#/D allows you to play more or less up and down one row for most of the time, generating a more rhythmic effect.

 

…CAJUN MUSIC

You can learn Cajun music on any diatonic box, but really a one row 4-stop is needed in the most popular Cajun key of C. The same instrument will also allow you to play in G in much the same way as a blues harmonica player would use the second position to get G from a C instrument.  A great deal of myth and folklore surrounds this type of instrument, ranging from the type of woods used in the construction to the direction the reeds are laid in. A genuine Louisiana box would in fact have 2 of its 4 reeds laid flat on the soundboard and 2 upright on a block. A standard Hohner 1-row 4-stop will get you off and running, but better still, Hohner manufacture the Cajun box, which is all black, and with improved bellows. Tuned slightly drier, this is the best sounding entry level instrument we have come across.

 

…EUROPEAN MUSIC

G/C and C/F are the most popular tunings for European music, and incidentally these are also among the best keys to use when singing. Hohner supply the Pokerwork in G/C and C/F, but the more authentic instrument is the Le Bouëbe by the French company Saltarelle. The UK does not have a wealth of tuition material, but Musique pour la Danse Bretonne is useful.

 

 

Glossary of terms

Voices - The number of reeds sounding. E.g 1 voice = 1 reed, 2 reeds = 2 voices, 3 reeds = 3 voices

Stops / Registers - Knobs or switches to allow  certain reeds to be switched on and off.

Dry - One reed  tuned in concert pitch and the second is tuned to the same pitch.

Wet / Tremolo - One reed tuned in concert pitch and the other is tuned very sharp

Swing - One reed tuned in concert pitch and the other is tuned slightly sharp. Somewhere between Wet and Dry