Ebor_fiddler’s nine hundred and thirty-four comments

I seem to remember a tune called "After Aughrim's Great Disaster." more…

Listen to the late Skipper Bob Roberts, who ran a Thames Sailing Barge. Bob sang and accompanied himself - try Spotify. I enjoyed his singing, but I can't recall whether he played a one-row or a double decker. Melnet ran a column on the subject a couple o... more…

What's wrong with Mr Handel's"Messiah?" more…

You seem to have recorder players who play folk tunes rather than folk players who play the recorder. I used to think that the recorder was a bit of a nancy instrument, until a few years ago when I came across ceilidh players who use what I call "Killer... more…

Dance-wise, the hornpipe is a hop-step (well, actually a step-hop, but never mind) played just fast enough for the dancers not to trip over their feet, whereas a Schottische has the same sort of rhythm, but is slower and has more swagger. Coleman's March ... more…

The original "Pub with no beer" came out of Australia in the fifties, using Stephen Fosters "Beautiful Dreamer" for its melody, which IS a waltx. more…

I suspect that the skill in playing the LH side is to know which holes to leave open at any particular time. more…

I couldn't make our St Padraig's Day session, so I sang "The Wearing of the Green" on Friday night instead. Not too bad after fifty years, apart from the link to the Napper Tandy bit. A grand song, even if I am supposed to be English (Boo! Hiss! Gerroff! ... more…

This sort of thing is a very popular souvenir from the various countries which used to be Yugoslavia and they are useless. Practically impossible to get enough air in your lungs to play. Hopefully the Susato ones are better. more…

The fingering is completely different from the quint boxes (D/G etc), so learning on a C/C# would not help you here. On the other hand, you do have a fulll chromatic box, albeit of an unfashionable layout. A D/G will give you the keys of D, G, Am, Em, Bm ... more…