geobox Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 Was at the Crotty Concertina Festival in Killrush a few days ago and at one of the many sessions I was sitting next to a really good Irish Anglo player (nothing new there). Talking to her later it transpired she had a Suttner G/D which amazed me as I had thought you needed a C/G to do that special Irish fingering. So my question is, does anyone have information on Irish style fingering sequences for the G/D? Playing around with my own G/D. if you imagine it's a C/G and do fingering as you would for the key of G then on the G/D you end up with the D key but I can't figure out how you get a fingering sequence for the G scale on the D/G (other than just going up the G row that is). By the way the festival was magic, so many top grade anglo players there. A must for anyone interested in Irish music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 I am an enthusiastic player of G/Ds, but I don't play Irish music, so that's going to colour my response a bit. First, though I don't play Irish music I have read a couple of tutors and been to workshops for the C/G, and it's clear to me that there are almost as many approaches to playing Irish on the C/G as there are players. It seems to me therefore there is little point in trying to duplicate a specific approach on the G/D. It would be better far to just get stuck in to the instrument and try to get the effect you want in a way that suits you. It's part of the beauty and fun of the anglo that there usually are several ways to achieve anything. Second, I have encountered one or two G/D players of Irish music, and they mostly seem to play up-and-down the rows the way I would play English music. That's not to say they're right or wrong, mind. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Weinstein Posted August 20, 2003 Share Posted August 20, 2003 So my question is, does anyone have information on Irish style fingering sequences for the G/D? Playing around with my own G/D. I play Irish music on a 20 button G/D Lachenal. Largely it's up and down the rows (and, as you would imagine, a lot of bellows reversals), but there are alternate fingerings for enough notes that I do go across the rows, usually for air reasons. Given that a G/D gives you G, E minor, E dorian, and D, you can play the overwhelming majority of Irish tunes on the 20 button. I don't tend to do a lot of the English style melody and chords, in large part because although this is a nicely restored instrument with new bellows, it still doesn't have enough air to play four notes simultaneously. Regards, --Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken_Coles Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 I was just at an Irish session last night, attended by another concertina player from the region who owns the G/D Lachenal famously mentioned by Paul S. in his 1998 Noel Hill School report. Yes, the one with filed reeds, originally a C/G. I'm told no reeds have broken in recent years, it has a great tone, and the owner gets reasonably fast response out of it - certainly faster than I get on a number of reels. Very authentic, very Irish. That said, don't try this (all that filing!) at home, kids! Ken [Wow, my first post!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMeyers Posted August 21, 2003 Share Posted August 21, 2003 I play a G/d anglo. Every time I go to the Noel Hill Irish Concertina School and choke up while trying to play one of the tunes in front of the Master and my peers, I mutter, "This G.D. Anglo!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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