Tunes For Beginners

[Strigulino]

Have been attempting the anglo concertina, coming from melodeon. Obviously it's a different kettle of fish having to use the lower notes to vamp accompaniment rather than having the basses and chords conveniently laid out for you.

 

I now have a passable rendition of Constant Billy "out the book" and have been mucking about trying to play some of my melodeon favourites by ear (things like Princess Royal, Oyster Girl, Salmon Tails, Moon and Seven Stars, Valse Voor Polle etc etc). Some work better than others. Some go so high that probably only dogs can hear them, and some go so low that they stray onto the left side and that cramps my vamp. I love Maid Behind the Bar but that is a typical Irish tune that dances all over the place so I don't even bother trying to accompany that, I just play the tune.

 

Now obviously pretty much anything is possible with practice, but can you recommend tunes that are particularly suited to concertina, so I can get a little repertoire to practice before I start trying to do complicated things.

 

ABCs or links to them would be helpful as I play by ear mostly, although I can do dots if I take a run-up.

[queenieweenie78]

Hi there, I'm now here too. And I have this same problem along with some others. I'd like to learn a few more songs, but they'd have to be absolute beginner songs as I really don't know most of them. That's my biggest problem, I'd need really famous simple tunes. Hope you find yours. I found some here: http://www.concertina.com/music/ but for me they are too advanced, I've only been playing a week, half of which I have spent mending the concertina lol.

[iradcliffe]

As a relative beginner can I suggest the following titles. Unfortunately the Tune-O-Tron is suffering from abuse at the moment so you may have problems digging them out there, so it may be worth looking out for them in paper form or take a look at abcnotation.com/tunes which has got loads of tunes.

 

Blaydon races

When the saints go marching in

She'll be coming round the mountain

The grand old duke of York

Marching through Georgia

My grandfathers clock

It's a long way to Tipperary

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag

Swannee river (a.k.a. Old folks at home)

Princess royal

 

Regards

Ian

[Lester Bailey]

I was going to suggest http://lesters-tune-a-day.blogspot.co.uk/ but I guess you may already know about it Strig!

[maki]

If you like Irish Trad dont worry about cords.

If you want to play cords you could try this tutor;

http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=15290

 

That said, Im particularly fond of Irish Polkas,

Top of the Maol

Finnish Polka

Britches full of Stiches

John Ryans Polka

Egans

Maurice Mannleys