Irish On A G/d Anglo

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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.

[Chris Timson]

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

[Dave Weinstein]

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

[Ken_Coles]

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!]

[PhilMeyers]

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!"