Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 For those interested, here is a video of one of the old House Dance concertinists from Ireland, Ella Mae O'Dwyer. She is one of the players featured in Dan Worrall's House Dance cdrom which I recently ordered (and should be receiving some time this week). Notice how she uses her index finger rather than her thumb to press the air button-very peculiar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPDM-2seKpA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 For those interested, here is a video of one of the old House Dance concertinists from Ireland, Ella Mae O'Dwyer. She is one of the players featured in Dan Worrall's House Dance cdrom which I recently ordered (and should be receiving some time this week). Notice how she uses her index finger rather than her thumb to press the air button-very peculiar. http://www.youtube.c...h?v=pPDM-2seKpA Lovely thanks for the link Tony McMahon presenting (great box player) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes Posted September 24, 2012 Share Posted September 24, 2012 She is just wonderful. I've been watching and listening to this video for some time now. If you look at her r thumb when it goes to close-up it appears that she has severe arthritis there. I don't think it works well enough to reach the air button. Isn't the first tune a polka? I've worked it out and enjoy playing it, but what the heck is she doing to get that triplet sound? I do a left/right/left, dfd, as it appears she does, but it never sounds quite like it. Any thoughts? guess i would have to had played since i were 8 years old... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo Enthusiast Posted September 24, 2012 Author Share Posted September 24, 2012 It does appear, as you point out, that she is alternating bellows directions in quick suuccession for the triplets rather than playing cross row. As I've discovered in some of the threads on the discussion forum, the issue of whether or not to cross rows in Irish music is extremely contravertial among concertinists and I don't wish to open any can of worms just here. I will merely confine myself to stating that I think both cross-row and along-the-row are valid approaches depending on the particular occasion and/or intention. In this particular instance,it might not hurt to experiment with playing those triplets in 1 bellows direction and see how it comes out. If you take care to articulate each individual note in relation to the others that comprise the entire phrase, you need not sacrifice any of the life, or rhythm in the triplet by playing it in a fluid, uni-directional fashion. Just my opinion of course-I certainly wouldn't die for it, but there it is. Ella Mae appears to function in a mostly along-the-row fashion and likes playing in octaves, a common trait, I am led to believe, among the early anglo concertinists. Tom Lawrence, a talented contemporary concertinist based out of Seattle, has invested much time in studying this old-fashioned approach to Traditional Irish music on the ac and offers lessons devoted to fostering this technique (this is merely one of the advanced techniques mentioned on his website). I am looking forward to getting my hands on the House Dance cdrom, where Ella Mae is one of the players examined. Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 well i've played that triplet both ways and it only sounds close to that authentic sound she creates by using both side of the instrument. you must be very relaxed and natural to do it. any tension and it doesn't work. the octaves work great in this piece, really gets out in-your-face! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) She is just wonderful. I've been watching and listening to this video for some time now. If you look at her r thumb when it goes to close-up it appears that she has severe arthritis there. I don't think it works well enough to reach the air button. Isn't the first tune a polka? I've worked it out and enjoy playing it, but what the heck is she doing to get that triplet sound? I do a left/right/left, dfd, as it appears she does, but it never sounds quite like it. Any thoughts? guess i would have to had played since i were 8 years old... On Youtube It's described as a fling Behind the Ditch in Parkhanna. On the CD in the Clare Sets there is a tune listed as Behind the Bush in Parkhanna but that is a slide whereas this vdeo is a fling or 4/4 tune. here she seems to have a 3 row Lacheanl in C/G and on The Calre Set a German model with twin reeds I wonder if the air button position had been shifted for access by the index finger As it is at the front opposite the normal thumb position ( or was that common?) I was interested that Mrs O'Dwyer was playing in a mode around G with natural in the scale on the C row mainly rather than on the G row so the octave style playing is pretty sophisticated. D minor chords seem to feature too , which was used a lot in old style playing. Maybe Sean O'Dwyer could help us out? She played mainly in F on the Clare Set CD so that has a lot of similarity with the Kitty Hayes style of octave playing old style. I'm having a great time trying to suss out the notes Has anyone got a twin reeded German concertina in C/G? Toss the Feathers is in C and Drowsy Maggie in D minor on the video clip, again along the middle C row. Edited October 1, 2012 by michael sam wild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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