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[RoVaBen]

Hi everyone,

I have a question, I guess mostly because of a lack of musical knowledge. I hope someone can enlighten me!
Being from the Netherlands I play on a CF or a GC melodeon.
I already play some Irish tunes, but after seeing this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Ky6ooECRs posted here, I started wondering about Irish tuning.

Basically my question comes down to:
Is the C row on my CF the same as the C row on a BC? On my CF it has a F# in the scale of C instead of a F, but on the systems I find on this site it shows a normal F on both a CF and a BC.

The next question is:
I like to play the basses, one of the good things about my "normal" CF system is I can always do that on the right places.
Is there a set system for irish tuning to be able to do that? With 12 bass buttons for example? (And maybe even in all scales?)

Last question:
How hard is it to play tunes in different scales on a BC, is it a totally different fingering for each scale?

Thanks! Please forgive me the lack of knowledge :)

[Stiamh]

The C row on a B/C is just that - a diatonic C row, with no accidentals. All the accidentals are on the B row.

Yes the fingering is different for each scale. Most people learn the handful of basic keys they generally need for the music they are playing. Some unusually gifted or unusually dedicated musicians learn to play fluently in any key - but I'd caution against setting that as a short- or medium-term goal.

For most Irish B/C players, basses are something of an afterthought. They are not designed for playing in either B or C, and so they work very differently from those on a C/F, G/C or D/G instrument. If you want to take up B/C, I would suggest you forget about playing basses in the way you do on your C/F. Learn the melody side and then see what the possibilities are for adding basses - often as punctuation rather than as accompaniment!  12 basses would give you more scope, of course, but I'd suggest you pick up a reasonably cheap 8-bass box and try it out rather than ordering fancy options without experience of the system.

C#/D is the "other" Irish system, and on that, an 8-bass box gives you more scope for traditional bass accompaniment - though only in tunes with two sharps in the key signature. If you want to accompany tunes in G, you'll need more basses.

Here's another thread on a similar topic started by a compatriot of yours. 

[Huw Adamson]

I agree with everything Stiamh says, particularly about the bass. On an Irish box you would have to bid farewell to oompah accompaniments and the like, and start fitting in quick chord notes where you can to add a bit of rhythm but not much more.