Classical music on english concertina

A lesson using a classical solo piece for english concertina. Played using 4 fingers.
This was one of the exercises on www.concertina-academy.com. Now included in the supplement cd to the tutor. Regularly you will find other music to practise and play on this website.

Irish concertina player Rory McMahon

Concertina for Beginners

Concertina Tutorial Video

Tim Collins on Concertina

Tim's formal introduction to music began at the age of 10 when his parents bought him a 'black dot' Hohner accordion in O'Neill's in Newcastle West. He and his brother John picked up tunes by ear from their father before attending Celia Regan's music lessons in the old hall in Templeglantine. Three years later, Con Herbert, a family friend from Killeedy, who had learned music from Collins' granduncle Tadhg, introduced Tim to the concertina. Herbert, a highly respected musician and teacher, trusted the thirteen-year-old with a 28 key rosewood ended Jeffries to practice on. Within a year, Herbert found a 38 key metal ended Jeffries that put Tim firmly on the road to concertina music. Herbert also loaned his young charge two key recordings of Irish concertina music, The Flowing Tide by Chris Droney and Irish Traditional Concertina Styles, a compilation released by Topic in 1977 that featured several legendary players; among them, Tom Carey, Solus Lillis and Paddy Murphy. Both discs had a seminal impact on Collins' style and repertoire.

The Kilfenora Ceili Band
Like his predecessors, Collins brought his music across the river to Clare, where he has taught music for almost a decade and played with Clare's legendary Kilfenora Céilí Band, one of the most decorated traditional ensembles in the country, with an unprecedented seven All Ireland titles and several award winning albums to its credit. While the musical ethos and philosophy of the Kilfenora, especially, the importance of tune structure, rhythm and lift has had a profound impact on his music, Collins has also contributed in no small way to the Kilfenora; not least, the seminal stock of slides and polkas that he has given to the band.

Mairéad Corridan on Irish Concertina

From Templeglantine CCÉ, Co. Limerick, Mairéad Corridan (concertina) plays a Paddy O'Brien composition, "Mike Cooney's Fancy".

Mike Cooney was the drummer in Paddy O'Brien's Ormond Céilí Band, which won four All-Ireland titles, including the three-in-a-row 1979/1980/1981 and again in 1984. The band played newly-composed tunes by Paddy, which is surely a record