Hey all;
I began playing accordion on a cheap chinese made B/C and I recently purchased a Dancemaster C#/D. It is different but I enjoy playing the old push-pull style and great tunes of players like Jackie Daly.
Any advice on good intermediate songs for C#/D? I’ve learned a few songs like Morrison’s and Tobin’s Favorite, Dan O’Keefe’s polka into Johnny I Do Miss You (polka) at an advanced session speed (with rolls, cuts, etc and without sloppiness) if that helps with where I am in the stages of learning.
Any songs you C#/D players out there specifically love and always play? Let’s hear them! Challenging ones too! Thanks,
-Sean
Cool! Welcome to the seedy underbelly of the dark side.
Some of the first tunes I learned on the C#/D box were the Home Ruler, Páidín O Rafferty, The Sporting Pitchfork, Dan Breen’s Reel, Brendan McMahon’s Reel, and The Concertina Reel. For a little more of a challenge, try the Wise Maid, the Commodore, the Maid at the Spinning Wheel, the Monaghan Jig, or the Tempest.
will do, thanks! Any more out there?
-Sean
ps: learned the monaghan when I got it. great song
Too many to list Sean but there are tunes that are simply great for the C#/D.
Last night’s fun is a good example - you’d swear it was made for the C#/D box, and that’s no doubt why it’s a big tune in the repertoires of Joe Cooley, Tony MacMahon and Jackie Daly.
Then there’s the “Sliabh Luachra anthem” set - Mulqueeny’s (sometimes called Spindle Shanks), The Glentaun (a stripped-down version of Lord MacDonald), and Callaghan’s. The first and last two particularly will really let you get your rocks off!
Almost anything in D major and E dorian falls well under the fingers. Tunes in G (and more exotic keys) are good for developing your technique.
Here’s one to really get you working on your fingering: The White Petticoat. Another great tune for C#/D but you’ll have to spend a bit more time figuring it out, using the outer-row F# a lot. Once you get it working, it just rolls along - tremendously satisfying.
I’m new at the C#/D box but I like to play these sets
Polkas: The Finnish/John Ryans
Jigs: Leitrim Fancy/The Lilting Banshee
Reels: The Man of the House/McDonaghs
Scottish tunes: The Steamboat Quickstep/Bonnie Dundee
Coming Thru the Rye/The Keel Row
Hornpipe: The Cuckoo
and more…