#the version I know is the planxty one

[theamazingsaraman]

There’s a traditional folk song called ‘Arthur McBride’ which has the lines ‘Then after resting we both took a tramp/ We met Sergeant Harpur and Corporal Cramp’ and I always thought that would make a great period euphemism.

It would be basically useless to me because I subscribe to the Talk Very Decisively About Periods Without Euphemisms school of thought, but it would just be neat y’ know?: ‘You don’t look very well, are you ok?’ ‘No, Corporal Cramp has come recruiting 😭’

Especially because, in the song, Corporal Cramp gets hit over the head with a shillelagh. I feel like that thought would encourage me in my time off pain.

gang I need your help I have a phrase I really want to catch on and it’s calling any secret or invisible struggle you have a “fight with a gorilla” like the onion article. if they can have cinnamon roll catch on this can too. “yeah she told me about it, I had no idea, sounds like a real fight with a gorilla” “sorry man I can’t come I’ve really been fighting the gorilla lately” do you see the vision

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

In This Heart Mix Tape: Side A 

Two souls, forever bound in the multiverse. (Tommy Shelby x OFC! Estella Holland)

In This Heart by Sinéad O’Connor 

Red Right Hand by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Sparkling Diamonds - From “Moulin Rouge” by Nicole Kidman

Work Song by Hozier

Why Don’t You Do Right? by Amy Irving and Charles Fleischer

One Day I’ll Fly Away - Acoustic by Vaults

I Wanna Be Loved By You by Annette Hanshaw

Merrily Kissed The Quaker by Planxty

Cheek To Cheek by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine

Morrison’s Jig by Orthodox Celts

He Moved Through the Fair by Sinéad O’Connor

Swan Upon Leda by Hozier

An Irish Party in Third Class by Gaelic Storm

Brigg Fair by Jackie Oates 

The Wind That Shakes the Barley by Dead Can Dance

Return to Me by October Project

I Know You Know Me by Caroline Spence and Matt Berninger

Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine

I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger by Joe Slovick

Nostalgia - Wallander Version by Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo

The Only Exception by Paramore

Take Me to Church by Hozier

Queen Of Peace by Florence + The Machine

[finnlongman]

any celtic folk recs? any thoughts on celtic fusion (especially when, for example, slavic influences are weaved in)?

Like, trad music? Hmm, I don't know if I have any recs per se -- I'm just getting back into folk myself and my knowledge of the bands and musicians that are out there these days is extremely limited. It would be an exaggeration to say my folk knowledge stops with Planxty but unfortunately not as much of one as I'd like it to be. (When I first got into folk my uncle bought me Clannad, the Chieftains, Planxty etc... meaning I had the music taste of someone ten or twenty years older than me. I come from a family with zero trad background -- my parents are Classical musicians -- and lived in an area with no folk scene, so I was kind of fumbling around in the dark trying to figure it all out.)

With regard to currently active contemp folk musicians, I enjoy Fergal Scahill's "tune a day" videos on Facebook! (He's a fiddle player, he's posting a different tune every day for 2019. Sometimes he does them with others, especially if he's overlapping with anyone's tour or performances, and sometimes they're solo.)

What else... I used to listen to Leahy quite a bit. They're from... hmm, I wanna say Cape Breton, but that might be wrong. I've always been pretty drawn to instruments that I play myself, so I love a good fiddle player. I also had a couple of CDs by Brian Finnegan, who's a flute player -- based in Scotland, I think, but again, don't quote me on that.

Just flicking through my Spotify... I also enjoy Lúnasa and Sileas, both bands I think I discovered through a rec from Maggie Stiefvater a few years ago. I also got really into like... folk-punk fusiony stuff for a while. There's a band called Ockham's Razor who did some really trad stuff, but some much less trad stuff, and I was *super* into their music in like 2012. (I actually wrote a novel inspired by one of their songs.)

Not sure if she's really what you're looking for, but there's a Northumbrian piper (as in, she plays Northumbrian pipes, I don't know where she'd from herself) called Kathryn Tickell whose stuff I like. I saw her perform a few years ago and that was kind of fusiony with Classical; she did some versions of classical pieces with pipes alongside the cello, though also more trad folk.

For Scottish stuff my aunt bought me a Julie Fowlis album like, I don't know, going on ten years ago now. Most people know her from the Brave soundtrack. She's pretty good, I like her.

But honestly this is a rubbish list, lol. One thing I discovered at the Blas summer school this year (well, I already knew, it was a reminder) was that my folk knowledge is woefully limited. There are so many GREAT bands out there producing music all the time, and I probably couldn't name any of them. I'm trying to broaden my knowledge a bit as part of my whole 'getting back into folk music' thing (and I also want to learn more songs, including Irish-language songs).

As for fusion stuff, I'm definitely a fan! I love seeing trad music played on non-trad instruments or on another country's trad instruments. I love people doing trad dance to non-trad music and the reverse. I think it's good fun. I don't have a lot of experience with it outside of, like, folk rock, folk punk type situations -- I've listened to less that directly mixes trad influences from different traditions -- but I'm down to hear more if anyone's got any recs!

[cruelsister-moved]

Are Planxty's post-reunion albums worth listening to? I adore those first three records but I've heard the others aren't as good. Or was that one of those opinions codified in the 70s that hasn't held up?

omg hiiiii<333 tbh i think the only one ive often heard is the woman i loved so well & i like it well enough! i have to say I don't enjoy the tunesets as much and definitely prefer pre-reunion for tunes. also in the last year or so ive been a huge turncoat and abandoned #teamchristy for #teamandy so i enjoy the songs less than i used to cos id rather hear andy irvine singing more 😭

I would say it's overall sweeter and more produced, there is more christy singing and less andy (and andys voice has quite a different quality from the earlier albums). christy really shines on that stuff in particular like true love knows no season and little musgrave are gorgeous for sure but there is a lot less of the follow me up to carlow type stuff. I don't think that has any objective merit or not, just depends what you like. though in my opinion the production is a lot kinder to the pipes and maybe the whistles too.

if you adore the first 3 records you should definitely check out andy irvines solo stuff!!! like i just listened to the version of ye rambling boys of pleasure on after the break and personally I prefer other times he's done it outside of planxty (theres an atlantic sessions version where it goes by the name i wish I was in belfast town) . i love his album with paul brady and his album with dick gaughan has a lot of filler but captain thunderbolt is elite.

also tbh in the trad world anyone whos like trying to do that thing of oh so and so was better before bla bla bla is probably too big for their boots cuz it really varies so much from person to person and what you value but like andy irvine has never not shagged deliriously on the mandolin and the repertoire is always at least alright so theres not really anything objective here and this isn't pitchfork or anthony fantano like most trad enjoyers will hold highly obscure and random and minute criteria for evaluating trad it's really up to if u enjoy it urself :-) love 2 u my friend!!

[mcneelamusic]

The Best Beginner Tunes for Irish Concertina

Did you know that not all ‘beginner’ tunes are universal? A beginner flute tune for example might be far more challenging to play on a concertina, and vice versa.

You don’t want to waste your time struggling to learn the wrong tunes when the right repertoire can be learned far more easily in half the time. That’s why I’ve put together this handy guide with three tunes specially tailored to the needs of beginner concertina players.

Once you’ve mastered these three tunes you’ll have taken a crucial step towards mastering the Irish concertina. With practice you’ll find that learning other tunes on the concertina will come more easily.

Let’s dive in!

Contents

What Makes the Ideal Beginner Concertina Tune?

Maggie in the Woods Polka

 Out on the Ocean Jig

The Kesh Jig

What Next?

What Makes the Ideal Beginner Concertina Tune?

Concertina players have a strong advantage when they first begin to play. The instrument itself does most of the work in producing the notes. You simply have to press the buttons and push or pull the bellows. Compared to the flute or fiddle where there are a few more steps involved in producing a note that sounds good, you’re flying! You also have the added advantage of your instrument always being in tune.

One challenge you do face as a beginner concertina player however is learning the layout of the keys. While it’s mostly intuitive, there’s one note that catches most players by surprise at first – F#.

The low F# key is located quite a distance from the buttons above which your fingers will naturally rest. It takes time and practice to get used to both locating and playing it. For this reason, not one of the tunes I’ve included below contains an F#.  There’s plenty of time to work on that once you’ve mastered the tunes below.

So here’s a selection of tunes to get you started. A polka and two jigs – enough to keep you busy!

Maggie in the Woods Polka

 Maggie in the Woods is one of the most popular traditional Irish polkas. It’s most definitely one of the most popular tunes taught to beginner musicians. While I’m not too sure I agree with it being considered a simple tune to play on the likes of the flute or whistle, it’s a breeze to play on the concertina.

Even the most simple of tunes can sound great when played well. Here it is in the hands of the brilliant fiddle player, Fergal Scahill as part of his ‘tune a day’ series:

Out on the Ocean Jig

Out on the Ocean is a highly popular tune and rightly so. This deceptively simple tune has a lot to offer:

Have a listen to this version by the legendary Planxty. They’ve paired it with An dTiocfaidh Tú Abhaile Liom, which might be a little out of your grasp right now. It’s definitely one worth returning to at a later stage of your playing however.

The Kesh Jig

The Kesh Jig might just be the most popular traditional Irish tune in the world. Perfect for beginners, it’s also beloved by true master musicians who understand the potential a ‘simple’ tune has to offer.

Here I’m joined by the fantastic Liam O’Connor on fiddle as we give it a blast in our very own McNeela Studios:

It’s such a great tune that I couldn’t resist sharing its iconic performance by the legendary Bothy Band in 1975. Give it a listen. Perfection!

What Next?

If you’ve mastered every tune included in this post, fair play! You’re well on your way to being session ready. The most important thing you can do now is listen to as much traditional Irish concertina playing as possible and continue to expand your repertoire.

If you’re itching to learn more about your instrument then check out our range of concertina tutors and tune books. They’re full of very handy information for anyone starting out. They’re also a useful read for those who may be a little further down the road on their concertina playing journey.

In addition to our concertina books, why not visit our Online Concertina Store. We have an instrument for everyone! Our bestselling Wren Anglo Concertina also comes with an exciting offer. For a limited time, with every purchase of our beloved Wren Concertina, we are offering a free series of online video lessons with renowned concertina player Caitlín Nic Gabhann. Caitlín’s expert guidance is guaranteed to take your concertina playing to the next level.

To see just how far you can take the concertina, read all about Ireland’s “Jimi Hendrix of the concertina”, often described as Ireland’s greatest living concertina player.

[littlebitofbass]

Shaggy-haired and casually dressed as ever, Ed Sheeran is grinning ear to ear when we meet him in a London hotel. We’d like to believe it’s because of our radiant company, but it turns out he was just given a present of a suave Saint Laurent jacket by his record company.

“I wore it for a GQ cover shoot and I liked it so much, but I’d never spend that kind of money on a jacket for myself,” he says. “So they’ve just surprised me with it.”

This, from a man who Forbes estimated to be worth €33 million in 2016 – a year he spent travelling rather than working.

But that’s Sheeran all over: through his meteoric rise to become one of this generation’s defining artists, it’s not him that’s changed as much as everything around him.

Sheeran’s performances still involve just him, a guitar and loops, even though his venues have progressed from the dive bars of 2008 to capacity runs at Wembley Stadium and Madison Square Gardens.

There’s still no popstar shine to his appearance; in fact, he’s moved to wearing his glasses more frequently. And while his squad now includes James Blunt, Taylor Swift and Niall Horan (“he lives really close to me. He’s in Nashville to record but we’ve been emailing”), the apple of his eye is a childhood friend.

If anything, his changing fortune is apparent in his disposition: he’s happy. Which is fantastic news, especially when your first two albums, which earned 92 (yes, 92) platinum discs between them, are centred on broken hearts and wild nights.

“It’s quite weird being in a good place when you write an album because for one, you struggle to find inspiration, and two, once you find it, it’s completely out of your comfort zone,” he notes.

“The only things I can write about are being in love, friends and family, career, or the place I grew up. That makes the album feel pretty reflective.”

So while third album, ÷ ( Divide), continues his tradition of mathematical titles, lyrically it’s a stocktake, looking as much to where he came from as the record-breaking, award-winning place he is now.

It makes Eraser – a rousing celebration of his achievements – a smart album opener, and Castle on the Hill an appropriate lead track as it’s “a love song to Suffolk”, his home before leaving for London aged 16.

There’s a strong presence of his much-reported Irish background on the album too, so our attention quickly turns to Galway Girl, a céilí-inspired tale of a “Galway girl and the perfect night”, with added musicality from Belfast-based Beoga.

We’re too intrigued to ask anything else, but who is this Galway girl?

“It was based on the fiddle player in Beoga, Niamh [Dunne]. She’s married to an Irishman, a friend of mine,” he explains, emphasising the last point. “I had the band in my house for an extra day so I was like, ‘what can I write about? She plays the fiddle in an Irish band . . . right, cool, let’s write a song about that.’ She inspired the first line but the rest of the song isn’t about anyone, I just made up a story.

“I was looking for a line that wasn’t Galway Girl because of the Steve Earle song, but the more and more I sung it, the more I thought, f**k it, there’s just going to be a new Galway Girl. And it means I can sing both live.”

The nod to Ireland doesn’t end there. In the album’s deluxe version, we’ll also hear Nancy Mulligan, a quintessential trad song about his Wexford-based grandparents’ marriage despite their Catholic-Protestant divide. Even more trad songs were recorded, but they didn’t make the final cut.

“I was angling for this to be a trad album,” Sheeran says. “I’ve always wanted to make one, and I recorded about six or seven songs for this. But it only ended up being two of them.

“I grew up on Planxty and The Chieftains, and I really like Irish music. I don’t think enough people use it in pop music. For some reason it’s considered twee and old, but it’s such exciting, youthful music, it should be at the forefront of pop culture. Hopefully if these songs are successful, more people will do a bit more like it.”

Here’s hoping, especially as there’s no arguing with Sheeran’s ability to lead the flock. An Ivor Novello Award winner in his own right, his sound has spread through the songs he’s penned for others including One Direction, Justin Bieber and Robbie Williams, plus forthcoming tracks for Jess Glynne and James Blunt (that song being the first time Sheeran took on solo producer duties).

Even on social media, he’s a major influencer: a plain album-blue Instagram post received 230,000 likes, a feat that trumps Justin Bieber’s memorable “Hi” tweet (60,000 retweets). So, given the state of play in 2017, his absence of political commentary is noted.

The issue is partly addressed in the unassuming gem What Do I Know?, in which he spreads the good word of “love and understanding, positivity”. Is that all he’ll be saying on the subject?

“Maybe not for the rest of my life. For me to make an educated comment on situations in the world, I have to know both sides of an argument,” he explains. “But I spend most of my life in other countries, not reading or watching the news. So I don’t feel like I, as a 26-year-old man, can make an informed judgment.

“So as it stands, my own view is that we shouldn’t put up barriers, we shouldn’t hate each other, we should all try to understand each other and get along. Which is a wet way of saying a political statement, but it’s all I can justify saying at the moment.”

Looking ahead, there’s his upcoming “warm-up” tour, if two 3Arena shows can be deemed as such. While demand for tickets was so frenzied that tickets were being resold for €1,000 despite Sheeran specifically partnering with Twickets to resell tickets at face value, he assures fans that he will return.

“The big tour will be next year,” he says. “These are the warm-up shows because I want the main shows to be so good, just the best show you’ve ever seen.”

He has his sights on broader ambitions too: after a cameo in Bridget Jones’s Baby, he aims to expand into the movie world.

“I want to do one film,” he announces, with certainty. “I want to write a romcom, star in it and do a soundtrack for it that would be released as an album. I’ve always wanted to do something like how Eminem did 8 Mile, but not a serious film – I’d rather do a Notting Hill, Love Actually, About A Boy type film.

“I’ve been speaking to some people about it but it’s still about 10 years away. I want to start putting together a story now because I don’t know what the hell the story would be.”

If anyone’s thinking cap could work magic . . .

Originally posted in the [Irish Times].