They say you cannot step twice into the same river. In this book and the accompanying recordings, the river, the moment, the torrent, is the traditional music of virtuoso piano accordion player, Karen Tweed. With timeless reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas and slip jigs all expertly transcribed and laid out, with Karen's choice of chords and - possibly best of all - with her personal thoughts associated with those tunes, this is a marvellous anthology of her personal favourites. Every musician can, at last, examine and appreciate her interpretations of these tunes, particularly with the aid of the recordings. One thing will come across early to anyone with a grain of sense: Karen's obvious love of and respect for traditional music. Each tune is treated as a living thing, each is nurtured and cherished. Dip in your toe or immerse yourself in this beautiful collection of Irish session tunes. Suitable for all traditional melody instruments, it includes Karen's versions of several favourites along with a healthy selection of challenges. Chords are given as are hints, tips, illustrations and anecdotes. On two tapes or CDs, Karen plays every tune in her own sweet style, accompanied by Gordon Tyrrall, Peter Houlahan and Seamus O'Sullivan. No musician can fail to benefit from Karen's breadth of experience and depth of comprehension of Irish traditional music. This is a book about traditional Irish session music, the tunes in this book are not 'piano accordion tunes' but simply versions that Karen has learned on that instrument. They are not intended to be seen as definitive versions, just examples of how each tune can be played; you can adapt the tunes to your own instrument and style. Foreword by Phil Cunningham, 93 tunes, discography, photographs, Karen's personal thoughts and incidentally, Karen also came up with the intriguing cover drawing along with numerous illustrations inside.
Contents
Reels
All Around the World Andy McGann's Bríd Harper's The Broken Pledge Bunker Hill Christmas Eve The Congress The Convenience reel Corney's Coming Dennis Langtou's Dinkie's The Drunken Landlady The Fairy reel Fearghal O'Gadhra Girl who Broke my Heart Hand me Down the Tackle Humours of Loughrea The Humours of Tulla The Kilfodda Launching the Boat Matt Peoples' Maudabawn Chapel The Milliner's Daughter Miss Thornton's The Monaghan Twig My Love is in America The Old Copperplate Over the Moor to Maggie Paddy Lynn's Delight The Piper's Despair The Raheen The Reel of Mullinavat Return to Miltown Sailor on the Rock
The Scholar Seámus Meehan's The Silver Spire Siobhán O'Donnell's 3 The Steeplechase The Watchmaker Jigs
Boys of the Town The Bunch of Roses The Bush on the Hill Con Cassidy's Connaughtman's Rambles Connie O'Connell's Conway's The Cúil Aodha The Flowers of Spring Gander in the Pratie Hole The Hare in the Corn Hartigan's Fancy The Humours of Kesh The Maid on the Green The Miners' jig Munster Bacon The New House Rambling Pitchfork Scotsman Over Border The Second Victory Siobhán O'Donnell's 1 Siobhán O'Donnell's 2 Strayaway Child Tommy Peoples' Tom Trainor's Vincent Campbell's
Hornpipes The Cliffe hornpipe The Cuckoo Frank McCollum's Joe Skelton's Queen of the West The Smell of the Bog Smith's Favourite Spellan the Fiddler The Tara Brooch The Turnpike Polkas
Ailbe Grace's An Gallope Art O'Keeffe's The Ballydesmond Captain Byng Cousin's Delight Din Tarrant's No. 3 Jim Keeffe's Peg Ryan's Sweeney's Teahan's Favourite Miscellany
Drops of Springwater Going to Well for Water Humours of Derrycrosane Merrily Kiss the Quaker's The Scart Whinny Hills of Leitrim