Peter Brook

I've seen them twice before and looking forward to seeing them again at Easter at the festival in Fareham. Denny is one of the best "old style" (sean nos) singers around. This style is unlike "modern" singing styles and that is why it takes some tuning in to appreciate. It's meant to have been passed on aurally from the bardic/druidic style of singing in the western fringes of Ireland. Sammy's Bar is one of my favorite songs (written by Cyril Tawney) but the LNF version is immense. I sing the song quite regularly after Morris practice in our little session at the Peacock. Another highlight on "Tempered" is a slow version of "Whiskey in the Jar". From "Dubh" the track "A Tinkerman's daughter" is breathtaking.

I think your site is great - and the reminders/updates are really useful :-)

If you can read music the best thing would be to go to a Christian bookshop and see what they have. Most old hymn tunes are very easy and there was a great deal of cross pollination of folk/church tunes for hymns and folk songs. One of my friends sings a wonderful "Clemantine" (miner 49er etc) to the tune of "Bread of heaven" - the unofficial Welsh national anthem

Michael and Jim, you are absolutely right, but there a (still) a lot of tunes that I prefer to play on one row. Some examples for Geraghty: Planxty Irwin (on the G row of my C/G) Sheebeg an Sheemor (on the C row of my C/G) Lord Inchiquin (on the C row of my C/G) Shandon Bells (on the G row of my G/D) Slieve Russel (on the G row of my C/G) The concertina hornpipe (on the G row of my C/G) etc. etc. Henk your post illustrates another issue - what is the right key! I've always played Sheebeg Sheemor in D so I need the F# & C# which are not on my C row! Sussex Bonny Breast knot is traditionaly written in C and I can play it on the C row - but most people play it in G! Apologies for the thread creep - yet again

Absolutely!

No you're probably right - I'd be expecting either a donut covered in icing or a lovely fruit scone with strawberry jam and clotted devonshire cream mmmmmmmm A "creemee" is a cone of soft-serve ice cream. Not a recommended snack while holding a concertina. So, "teakettle" is in the Oxford English Dictionary, as a vessel for boiling water to make tea, so I'm surprised that it seemed to be the wrong word... There are lots of words that are listed in the OED which are not common use or reflect how English is spoken (in England). We currently have a programme on TV here called "Balderdash and Piffle" which among other things shows that a number of entries in the OED are not as extensively researched as one might think. As I drink coffee in the main I would associate using the kettle to make coffee as well as tea, hot chocolate, soup etc. I have never heard anyone in England use the expression "teakettle" and when I first saw the word thought it must be a type of samovar - but there you go, you learn something new everyday. BTW a "creemee" in England is commonly known as a "whippy" as they used to be sold from "Mr Whippy" branded ice cream vans [in Scotland these ice creams are known as "okey pokey's" because the cone looks like a witches hat!]

I'm quite a sceptical chap, majored on sciences at school and did Engineering at University, I pretty much think there is a rational explanation for most things but I have two "unexplained" incidents. First one: I was talking to my friend outside her flat, door closed when we hear a high pitched wirring sound. "What's that?" I say "sounds like a helicopter" (we got a lot of military helicopters late at night there), no she says that's my sewing machine! Sure enough I open the door hit the light switch, but the light stays off, so I get a torch from my flat and go back in. Sewing machine going like the clappers, foot switch not depressed so to stop it I unplug it from the plug socket. Try light switch again and it works perfectly . This was midsummer so I wondered about dust from harvesting or just dodgy wiring (although the lights and sewing machine were on different circuits)? Second one: Moonlit night same place in my flat, I "felt" that I was not in the room on my own, and something sat on the bed next to me. The bed springs/matress actually compressed. I was praying like mad ! I wondered if this was "auto suggestion". I wondered if I had awoken from a "night terror" and the adenalin and sleepiness combined to make me "believe" this took place. Our flats were in a Queen Anne period mansion (built in 1704) which had been subdivided. I later found out that lots of people who had worked in the house or lived there had also had their own bizarre tale to tell! I live in a house now that was built in 1962

Sure Jim, it is personal choice and if you are confident that the solution offers the protection you need - go for it. My personal choice is to always use a hard case, but I have a specially designed rubberised nylon bag that fits round the hard case, which has a shoulder strap. I got it from the Music Room in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire. it is specifically designed to fit over concertina hard cases and they have two sizes: small and large. The strap makes it much easier to carry, and in addition you can have the case over your shoulder whilst playing when in a Morris parade for example.

That's what we call it in these parts! You probably also wouldn't know what to expect if someone offered you a "creemee"? No you're probably right - I'd be expecting either a donut covered in icing or a lovely fruit scone with strawberry jam and clotted devonshire cream mmmmmmmm

Henk, I think your animations are really wonderful - it would be great if you could make them available "off line" so to speak. best wishes, Peter

"teakettle"? does it boil tea?

Well I had already voted for Morris dancing but I have to say in true English style the government have produced the most ridiculous, unfriendly website you could imagine, and as there is no IP tracking as far as one can tell, anyone is able to vote as many times as they like for as many things as they like - Well done a proper well thought through piece of work

There's quite a lot of conjecture about the origins of this tune - Si beg -Si mor. The version of the origin that I am most familiar with is that it wasn't about a battle but a game of hurling between the farie folk of the big hill and the little hill. The patron of each team was the queen of the faires and her consort (not the king) respectively. Carolan is believed to have fallen asleep overlooking these two hills and had a dream about the hurling match. When he awake the tune was in his head. Is any of this true? - probably not but it is a fantastic tune and a nice story. If you are interested in Carolan, there is a great book by Donal O'Sullivan "Carolan: The life, times and music of an irish harper" which is probably the most historicaly accurate record of Carolan's life and a record of about 200 tunes. BTW the book suggests that a modern English translation of Turlough would equate to Terrence!

Do yourself a favour and travel the 24 miles North to Sheffield either by car or train. SRFN is usually the most up to date of the three or four websites that give details about what is going in Sheffield and South Yorkshire. (Although it does say the carol season is about to start when it's been running for over a month) Have a great new year

welcome to concertina.net As Samantha says you are going to get a lot of differing opinions on this, but you will have to find an optimum for you. As an illustration I have the straps as loose as possible (to allow movement of fingers to play chords) but play either with an end plate on one knee or standing with the concertina held at chest height - the wooden hand rails are usually between 90 degrees and 60 degrees to the horizontal when standing. Have fun experimenting - just don't have the straps so loose that you might drop it

Great stuff Alan! If I'd known you were going to be in Hever I might have asked permission to come and watch - I only work 10 miles away in Tunbridge Wells. Sounds like it was an absolute riot!

considering the operation how about "Get Back!" But it's probably something more sentimental like "I'll be seeing you in all those old familiar places..."

Well just look what can happen when you play standing up with the concertina near your ears - they start to bleed!

I tend to agree with your opinion but it doesn't stop me voting for this.

UK listeners and users of "listen again" for the Radio 2 Folk Show might like to know that voting is open for the BBC Folk Awards 2006. This year listeners have been asked to vote for: "MOST INFLUENTIAL FOLK ALBUM OF ALL TIME This can be any recorded album which, in one way or another, you feel has made the biggest impact on the audience, singers and musicians of the UK folk revival - the album which altered or broadened the course of the music, kick-started a new movement or was simply inspirational to a large number of people." The link to the voting page is here I voted for "Morris On" but I'm sure you will have your favourites.

That's got to be my dream job - can I have that for Christmas please instead of adding my instruments to the holiday wishlist!?

Well I put where I am from and where I now reside. I put the where I am from to give an indication that English is my second language, Yorkshire dialect being my first. There is a real difference in vocabulary and grammer and it has got me into a dispute on this website! Particularly the "Yorkshire question" which to everyone not from Yorkshire sounds and reads like you are making a statement

Yes, Graham's Son.

Apart from "Plain Capers" which is Cotswold Morris tunes, John Kirkpatrick has released 2 CDs of Border Morris tunes mostly written by him or members of Shopshire Bedlams and Martha Roden's Tuppenny Dish these are "Sheepskins" and "The Duck Race". There are a whole series of Morris On CDs through Son of, Grandson of, and Great Grandson of. Morris On is proably the pick of that bunch but the others are all good. Incidently I've heard JK say in a workshop that although making Morris On was great fun, the way they play the music does not lend itself to being danced to. JK likes to play jig time as a short staccato um with a longer pa as he believes this gives a lot more lift to the music and helps the dancers. He also plays ECD tunes this way. He says that this is the opposite way to the way they played on Morris On with it's "Folk Rock" influences. You can get most but not all of JK's recordings through Amazon but I'm not sure how this affects the artists cut of profits. The CD that he released this year is as a duet "The Sultans of Squeeze". Which is mainly PA and button accordion with Chris Parkinson. (Also features a fantastic Bass Anglo on a couple of tracks!) I lot of musicians I know who want to learn Morris Tunes buy the Books and accompanying CDs from Dave Mallinson There is not a lot different to Bacon but I find the notation much clearer and easier to read.

Sam Pirt (the PA player from 422) is exceptionally good. Even though "I don't like PA" I'll go and see him in concert. Lots of drive, energy but also sensitivity when needed and tunes from Spain, France, Scandinavia, England. He even does a seated step dance whilst playing which is very effective. Not to be missed if you get the chance.