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Here's a couple of songs to get the toes tapping. The first is one is fairly well known in Oz and was done by Australian country singer Kasey Chambers, an inane song of lost love, her bloke takes off with another gal. I was wondering about changing the words to make it gender correct for a male singer but then realised I didn't have to. These days it's not unusual for a wife or girlfriend to dump their bloke and take up with another lady! Kasey sings it with a contrived American accent. I had to be careful to avoid that country twang. Here ya go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj4jIILT1vI Here's another, the old San Francisco Bay Blues. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIch3lDVzC0 I like that these songs are a bit boppy. Both have a click beat, you'll see. I've been trying to develop a style of rhythm with my playing but am undecided about whether I'm really happy with it. Sometimes the chording sounds a bit too full perhaps. They're recorded with my little portable digital recorder which probably doesn't help.

I'm a newbie to this site and a duet player want-to-be. My plan is to accompany my vocals while performing Irish Ballads and Pub Songs which are fairly simple tunes. Not traditional Irish music or dance tunes. My voice is baritone but can perform as a tenor when needed. I have been playing with lower end ECs and ACs for about ten years but I was never quite getting the sound I was looking for. After searching concertina music on YouTube I found the sound which I had in my head. The player was performing on a 58k duet. I've now spent the better part of two months researching duet systems and for several reasons (mostly availability) I have settled on the Maccann. I have found two refurbished instruments from a very reputable dealer, who has been more than helpful and patient with me. However, i would like some opinions on whether it is better to start with a smaller instrument like a Wheatstone 46K rosewood ends, metal buttons, steel reeds in concert pitch or a more versatile larger Wheatstone Aeola 67k, metal ends, metal buttons, steel reeds in concert pitch. There is a significant difference in price (no small amount in my world). I'm thinking I might out-grow the 46k fairly quickly especially if I can not play chords to suit my vocals. The third possibility is to wait for another lower priced instrument with 57K or more. But take the chance of missing the long winter months to practice. Unfortunately I live in the "middle of no-where", USA and I would be surprised to find a Duet player to talk to or even a instrument of any quality to try within 500 - 1000 miles so I'll throw it out here for comments. Thanks for any advice

Since having recorded and posted this 24 hours ago with hardly any notice I came to the conclusion that if I'd like people to listen to a recording of my own I'd have to start a new thread (which I initially didn't because my take was meant as a reply to Stuart Estell, whose version blew me away). I have to repeat myself: didn't want to improve on that but felt compelled to adopt the lovely Mixolydian version from his and adapt it to my style of self-accompaniment which is (as the interested of you might know by this time) mainly playing melody with chords in a sort of dense, rhythmic and repetetive manner. => Barbara Allen I can't of course expect anybody to comment or even listen to my recordings and don't want to be understood like this. It's just that the meter overthere at the soundcloud clearly indicates to me (in comparism against former recordings of mine) that I have not reached the likely audience as yet. My conclusion for the time being is: Calling attention for a new recording requires separate announcement (thank you Jim that you already got there however!). If anyone should feel embarrassed please ignore this and/or or bear with me my enthusiasm for concertina and folk music. Again - any comment appreciated. It's a work in progress with some flaws anyway...