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[Mel Phelps]

Hi there
I introduced myself yesterday. Just bought myself a B/C box as Im in Ireland and looking to grab some books to help get me started. I was sold 'The Box by Hanarahan' but its pretty basic and already Im needing more. If anyone knows of a couple of helpful books  on techniques it woukd be great. I do read music so that bits ok butvI want to understand my lovely instrument and how to play it. Ill also be looking for lessons and live near Bristol / Somerset if anyone is available or knows or anybody. I dont know if I've picked tge right instrument choosing the B/C chromatic but its folk/Irish / French Id like to play. Ive bought a Hohner Double Ray Black Dot. Im very excited and love it already. I've always wanted one and wanted to learn so hoping i can get some good advice which will be really appreciated. Thanks Mel

[boxer]

I've never seen a good book for B/C and God knows I've looked.  John Williams's DVD is useful but you really need to have an idea of how to play the box before it makes sense.  Peter Browne's DVD is amazing but not for beginners.

As far as Irish music goes, I'd advise you to listen very carefully to a lot of Irish tunes - particularly the ones you want to learn, but others as well - and played not just on box (which is a relative latecomer to Irish dance music) but on flutes and fiddles and pipes.  You'll need to develop a playing technique that enables you to build in the subtle rhythm and phrasing that makes Irish music what it is.

Most people seen to sit down with the box and work it out for themselves - it's a good way to do it, but you can spend a lot of time un-learning bad habits - which takes a lot longer than learning them in the first place.  A good teacher may save you a lot of time - but remember that in this country relatively few people are qualified to judge whether a B/C teacher is any good or not.  Tuition isn't cheap.  Perhaps you could try to find a convenient Comhaltas branch.

Well done for chosing B/C - enjoy the journey.

 

[Gromit]

"The Irish Accordion Tutor Tutor (for B/C)" by Damien Connolly is more advanced and comes with a DVD.

Stiamh Ionas youtube website is very useful - although mainly for Csharp/D he has some excellent B/C tuition - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3H-wrN2izU

Tim Edey has some B/C stuff here - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/timedeymusic/

The Online Academy of Irish Music does B/C tuition videos

This maybe useful as they seem to do workshops near you https://www.hiberniacentre.co.uk/

[Mel Phelps]

Thanks for all the advice and pointers. Ill def check them all out and yes do lots of listening. Im already playing (just about) my first simple little tune so am plezsed as only had it a week and am practicing for short bhrsts daily as on holiday. Think its hoing to be an interesting and challenging journey but am loving it already and learning a couple of whistles at the same time using same tunes. :-) Thanks Again.

[Mel Phelps]

Boxer - Any recommendations for Irish Cd's that would be good to listen to please?

[george garside]

and learning a couple of whistles at the same time using same tunes. :-) Thanks Again.

 

Mel you are doing the right thing using the same tunes on whistle and box as the really important thing is to learn to play the box i.e scales, fingering techniques, use of the 'magic' buttons i.e  B and E available in either bellows direction without at the same time encumbering yourself with trying to learn new tunes. 

It can also help in the early stages to play slow tunes eg waltzes  or slow airs  eg Danny boy, black velvet band,  endearing young charms or anything else that is going round in your head  before progressing to fast , but not too fast, jigs and reels. As to  twiddles and such ornamentation this is best left until the basics are mastered  and even then not overdone!

we are a broad church and others may disagree!

George 

[Gromit]

Any recommendations for Irish Cd's that would be good to listen to please?

Here's a few suggestions (in no particular order) all on youtube - have a listen and decide who you like -
Jackie Daly, Martin O'Connor, Dermot Byrne, Billy McComiskey, Andrew McNamara, Charlie Harris, Darren Breslin, Danny O'Mahony, Mick McCauley, Sean McComiskey, Tim Edey, Luke Daniels, Debbie Garvey

[Mel Phelps]

Thanks for all your suggestions and tips and ill def check music out when i get home. Im doing a little bit every day and can see small improvements already in remembering some of the notes and their push or pull 😁 The concentration is exhausting though so when my brain feels like its starting to melt i switch to the whistle or flute to learn! 

[Gromit]

i .......switch to the whistle or flute to learn!

Good idea - flute (wooden) is my main instrument so when I started on the box I concentrated on tunes that I knew on the flute.

[boxer]

Hi Mel

Seamus Walshe, Connor Keane, Martin O'Connor, Sharon Shannon, Connor Moriarty, Damien Mullane are a few of my preferred box players - just check out YouTube under "Irish Button Accordion" and you'll find lots of exemplary stuff.  If you look up the names on Wikipaedia you'll find discographies for them. 

Comhaltas's website is linked to a huge archive of AV clips of really good Irish players, accessible for free last time I looked.

"Contentment is Wealth" is a memorable CD recording by two of the Chieftains - Sean Keane (fiddle) and Matt Molloy (flute) and I found it very useful for its insights into traditional approaches to rhythm and the phrasing of tunes.

Martin Hayes's fiddle playing is another revelation worth experiencing.

I'd recommend that you listen to any of the following bands:  Lunasa, Dervish, Danu, Solas - most of which include a box player and all of which play good tune sets very well.

There are a great number of other great Irish players and bands who I've not named, but I think I've given you enough for a start.

if I had any more advice to offer it would be this:  remember that you're playing the tune, not the box.  Don't let the apparent limitations of the box (which seem far more numerous when you're beginning than they do when you'e built up a bit of experience) determine the tunes you play or the way you play them.

However contrary the breathing and fingering of the B/C box may seem, there's usually a way to make the phrases flow in the way you want them to do - it just takes a bit of time and imagination to adjust the fingering and make it work.

Final thought - don't try to play a tune any faster than you can play the trickiest bit.  Many commercial recordings are played full-tilt to please a broad audience.  In real life the tunes are usually played at a steady pace.

Although you've got four fingers on your right hand, don't feel obliged to use all of them if it doesn't suit you.  Some players use all four, others use fewer.  My own preference is to use three because my little finger isn't strong or accurate enough to keep up with the other three.  It gets in the way.

Enjoy the box and good luck

B
 

[george garside]

Mel, its also worth keeping in mind that the BC box is not just an 'Irish trad music' box  and that  it is equally suitable for English and Scottish folk/trad stuff. I have played the BC for around  60 years and play mostly Scottish and English  stuff on it with  ITM to a much lesser degree and not particularly well! 

I am not in any way advocating that you shouldn't play ITM   but just a gentle reminder that the box won't worry if you want to play some other stuff as well!

george

[boxer]

yes, French, Portugese and probably most other nation's tunes work on B/C, including, of course, all of the English repertoire, if you're prepared to do without the full English bass that the D/G tuning enables, and the B/C (outside of the key of G anyway) doesn't.

I'd still recommend a big dollop of Irish music to begin with for learning B/C, because there are so many AV clips, DVDs and CDs of wonderful B/C players in that genre.

Good luck

[Mel Phelps]

Thanks again for all the tips and music ideas. Im starting with irish stuff as thats whats inspired me but its great to know that the worlds my squeezebox so to speak! (Do you call them that? Bit confused between whats a button accordion and a Melodeon? and does a squeezebox apply to all etc etc). Im particularly interested in French and didnt know about Portugese! Anyway I cant wait to get home to check the suggested music  out and watch some youtube footage to see some techniques. Ive bought an irish flute too (not played a flute for 40 years!!) so working between it,  the whistles and the box is working well for me as each has its own challenges so when i get tired on one i can just pick up  another. Its VERY early days though so just hitting some right notes, getting some sounds and playing the odd little tune is really pleasing. We've travelled around Ireland quite a bit over the past few weeks and ive visited numerous music shops but had no luck with any BC tuition books so going to do as you've all suggested above...listen, watch, practice and play and see how far I can get :-) Your help is really appreciated as it feels a little less daunting and always even more exciting. My husbands named the box and flute 'Stretch and Slim' ! 😊

[george garside]

the terms accordion and melodeon  depend to some degree on where you are.  In England  a one, two or 3row instrument is generally refered to as a melodeon  whereas in Ireland the one row is a 'melodeon  and 2 or 3 rows are button accordions.  The French have accordion diatonique's  and in some parts of the world 'melodeons' are just refered to as accordions!

george

[boxer]

just "box" should serve in every case, if you're worried. 

Here's a good tune for B/C:  "The Old Favourite" is a jig in G major which mostly plays some of the easiest bits of the B/C scale, but tasks you with just one little tricky one (tricky on B/C, that is) at the end of the tune.

When you've got the first 95% of the tune quickly and easily nailed, the prospect of having to crack the one remaining tricky little bit shouldn't seem too much of a challenge, and with a bit of effort you'll get the whole thing learned fairly sharp.  Tip - don't rush.

You'll find the dots on thesession.org.

Bonne chance

[george garside]

and another quite easy one is The Bluebell Polka  which is  a 3 parter   with the A part in key G, the B part in key  D and the C part in key C. The key changes are not particularly difficult and it provides excellent practice as handling key changes mod tune.   It was one of the first tunes I learned on the BC   and still one of my favourites.

plenty of dots on t'internet if you must  or better still have a go by ear for which there are plenty of you tube vids including one of Jimmy Shand  who made the tune famous  when he had a huge 'hit' with it in the '50's

george