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[Pat McInnis]

Technically I'm not learning alone since I have this great community on my side (I hope). I've weighed the options for getting some proper lessons for learning the "right way" but it just isn't in the cards for me. At some point I am hoping that it will work out but for now I'm just going to have to get comfortable with my machines and maybe learn the odd tune. My plan thus far was to take on C#D system since I mostly like ITM but since I'm only really playing along the rows right now, I'm not sure that it really matters until I start playing across the rows or with other people. Please correct me if I'm wrong. My functional old Hohner collection currently consists of C#D, GC and CF. The GC is probably in the best tune, so it seems to get the most play time.
Long winded? yes, yes I am.
As far as learning tools go I was checking out Bernard Loffet's page that has clear, printable songs and tunes that have push/pull direction and and notes but it may still be beyond me. Are there any other good online tutorials that you good people would suggest?
I do play every day like a good obsessed player but playing scales is a tad boring and I only know two tunes that I just keep trying in different keys. Any suggestions for direction would be appreciated.

[Jesse Smith]

I don't know too much about ITM, but I think you should learn more tunes rather than just scales. Listen obsessively to the players you like best and pick something that sounds on the simpler side and try to learn it. Do you have any Irish sessions nearby that you could attend? Find out what some of the standards are at your local session and work on it so you can eventually play with others. But I think listening as much as possible is important because it will develop your instinctual feel for the rhythms and ornamentation of the music you want to play.

[Scotty Gring]

We are so lucky to live in the time of YouTube.  There are some great tutorials - some free, others not.  Some maybe even wise to stay clear of.  I had a fantastic experience with Paul Young http://www.paulyoungfolk.co.uk/ when after commenting on a few of his performance videos and relating that I was still learning he invited me to check out his page.  He offers lessons via skype (which would be difficult for me) but also offers tutorials by song title.  I purchased a few and have been practicing -  and of course have the videos to review any time I want.  I'm definitely going back for more.  I don't think there are many resources of that caliber in the midwest USA, so this is perfect for me.  And of course you can't beat the "song of the month" thread...

[Tiposx]

In short - most Itm is in D, some is in G. Your c#/d box is perfect. Don't learn scales, learn tunes. Learn 3 or 4 or 5 together, and you will enjoy the learning. Easy ones first, my easier ones are:

The Rolling Wave
The Kerfunken Jig
Humours of Glendart
Saddle the Pony

The Session website is all about Itm and will give you lots of ideas. You will easily find lists of common session tunes.

Just my opinion. Best of luck

Tiposx

[Pat McInnis]

Great advice so far. As far as playing scales goes, I'm mostly doing them to work on my finger dexterity and tune me ear to the keys more than anything. I play tin whistle, so the tunes I've learned so far have been mostly adapted from the ones that I already know on the whistle. I'm not sure if this is a good habit or not. I've read a lot here about people warning against getting stuck in a rut of only playing down the rows and not across. Others suggest playing a single row then adapting to cross row playing. Lots of opinion on the subject it seems. I'm not even considering basses. Hah

[rees]

Stiamh Ionas is a regular contributor here and knows his way around the C#/D system.
Follow his excellent tutorials here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxryj37OE4c

[Pat McInnis]

Stiamh Ionas is a regular contributor here and knows his way around the C#/D system.
Follow his excellent tutorials here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxryj37OE4c

I have definitely followed his tutorials. Many of them are slightly too advanced for me but I'm getting there. The idea of just watching finger movements to learn is very foreign to me but it sounds like that's the norm.

[boxcall]

Good advice! From Rees.
ITM includes, on ( up and down )the row too! And many have adapted to a two row system from a one row.
Add some stuff to your practicing scales ( watch videos above) and listen as Jesse suggested.
Add more tunes you know from the whistle if possible.

Stiamh Ionas is a regular contributor here and knows his way around the C#/D system.
Follow his excellent tutorials here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxryj37OE4c

I have definitely followed his tutorials. Many of them are slightly too advanced for me but I'm getting there. The idea of just watching finger movements to learn is very foreign to me but it sounds like that's the norm.

I wouldn’t say watching videos for finger movement is the norm , it might help ( usually you can’t see the part you want or whatever)but knowing the tune and which button to push for the sound you want is key.

[Pat McInnis]

I wouldn’t say watching videos for finger movement is the norm , it might help ( usually you can’t see the part you want or whatever)but knowing the tune and which button to push for the sound you want is key.

I see what you did there. haha. Simple, easy instruction so that I can get to work is all I ask. I know how to play a bunch of Irish tunes and songs on the whistle so I'll probably just go that route I guess.

[Peadar]

Pat,
Like you I am "going it alone" - got my first melodeon oin January.
I am building up my melodeon repertoire by transferring tunes from the fiddle....this isn't going to get me anywhere fast because my total repertoire of memorised melodies is about 10. Tops.
Playing across the rows doesn't concern me because I am playing 1 row instruments

So far I have more or less got
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Siuthad a'Bhirlinn/Speed Bonny Boat
Thoir mo shoraidh dhan Taobh Tuath
Johnny Todd (Token English folk song- and the only one that I have managed to get the left hand to join in on)
Birlinn Ghoraidh Crobhain
Gleannan ri Taobh Loch Liobhainn

It takes me a good six weeks to learn a melody of eight bars so I am not by any stretch of the imagination a quick learner....and then there's the deep end.

[Peadar]

I see what you did there. haha. Simple, easy instruction so that I can get to work is all I ask. I know how to play a bunch of Irish tunes and songs on the whistle so I'll probably just go that route I guess.

Within my own limitations that approach works for me- I am mostly transferring Gaelic tunes I previously learnt on the fiddle...but also rather oddly finding one or two tunes (c/o Primary School and the awe inspiring i.e. utterly terrifying,  Miss Harnwell. ) in my head which I have now succeeded in getting onto the melodeon.

 

[Pat McInnis]

Pat,
Like you I am "going it alone" - got my first melodeon oin January.
I am building up my melodeon repertoire by transferring tunes from the fiddle....this isn't going to get me anywhere fast because my total repertoire of memorised melodies is about 10. Tops.
Playing across the rows doesn't concern me because I am playing 1 row instruments
So far I have more or less got
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Siuthad a'Bhirlinn/Speed Bonny Boat
Johnny Todd
Birlinn Ghoraidh Crobhain


For me it's all about putting in the work. I've been focusing on building and tuning old boxes to try and understand them better. Now it's time to buckle down!!
Gleann Taobh Loch Liobhan

(Response needs tidying up when i am not falling asleep in the chair.).

Dude, we should start a band. Haha

[jorden]

For the technical side, how to approach the instrument (use of basses, fingering etc) there is nothing for the C#D box except Stiamh's videos. Even if they are a bit to advanced Steve talks a lot about different approaches to developing your own fingering solutions.

There are no books for the C#D system (that I know of). IMHO the best tutor book for the B/C is Damien Connolly's (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irish-Accordion-Tutor-Vol-Intermediate/dp/1720599580). Indirectly (obviously the fingering patterns are different) I have learned a lot from this. The videos are very clear, there a lots of tips in the booklet etc.

There is however Gilles Poutoux's book (in French, but a translation in English is available) on playing Irish music on the melodeon. It's more opinionated or philosophical, but he has some great things to say about playing.

For the learning ITM side of things, here are some sources I use for learning tunes by ear are:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2jJahEPFofYItznRtMNCaQ Fluteplayer Shannon Heaton's channel. She also has a lot of general tips about playing Irish music and learning. With some tunes she plays them phrase by phrase.

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Fiddle-Book-Traditional-Fiddle-Playing/dp/1900428679 Fiddleplayer Matt Cranitch's Fiddle book. Comes with a cd.

The Mad for Trad series are also good, especially Cathal Hayden's one for fiddle. He plays the tunes slowly, but not dull in any way.

And there is the Online Academy of Irish Music! So there is an abudancy of excellent material, but not that much on the technical issues of the C#D box.

[Gromit]

As a flute player I would also recommend Shannon Heaton's channel for learning tunes. OAIM is a useful with some free basic starter lessons available for various instruments - https://www.oaim.ie/

[Pat McInnis]

For the technical side, how to approach the instrument (use of basses, fingering etc) there is nothing for the C#D box except Stiamh's videos. Even if they are a bit to advanced Steve talks a lot about different approaches to developing your own fingering solutions.

There are no books for the C#D system (that I know of). IMHO the best tutor book for the B/C is Damien Connolly's (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Irish-Accordion-Tutor-Vol-Intermediate/dp/1720599580). Indirectly (obviously the fingering patterns are different) I have learned a lot from this. The videos are very clear, there a lots of tips in the booklet etc.

There is however Gilles Poutoux's book (in French, but a translation in English is available) on playing Irish music on the melodeon. It's more opinionated or philosophical, but he has some great things to say about playing.


For the learning ITM side of things, here are some sources I use for learning tunes by ear are:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2jJahEPFofYItznRtMNCaQ Fluteplayer Shannon Heaton's channel. She also has a lot of general tips about playing Irish music and learning. With some tunes she plays them phrase by phrase.

https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Fiddle-Book-Traditional-Fiddle-Playing/dp/1900428679 Fiddleplayer Matt Cranitch's Fiddle book. Comes with a cd.

The Mad for Trad series are also good, especially Cathal Hayden's one for fiddle. He plays the tunes slowly, but not dull in any way.

And there is the Online Academy of Irish Music! So there is an abudancy of excellent material, but not that much on the technical issues of the C#D box.

Some great resources. Thanks so much. My friend has Damien's book and lent it to me for a while. Really well done. It's a shame that there isn't anything in print for C#D. I guess it just isn't that popular and well...it's not BC. 

[Fred]

Pat, try to enter your answers below the quote brackets. That'll make it easier for us all to follow your thoughts.

[Pat McInnis]

Pat, try to enter your answers below the quote brackets. That'll make it easier for us all to follow your thoughts.

Apologies and I appreciate you pointing this out. Technology hates me.

[Barlow]

Going it alone.

Decisions:

1. Are you going to use the little finger?....Common sense says surely it means easier/better playing with four fingers. Why would you 'handicap' yourself by doing away with one?

2. Will you use a different finger for each and every note (even if the next note is on the same button and/or is the same note)?...Common sense says surely it means better/easier playing using the same finger if it is there on the button already.

(..I'll just try and press the lid down on those particular cans of worms)

[Pat McInnis]

Going it alone.

Decisions:

1. Are you going to use the little finger?....Common sense says surely it means easier/better playing with four fingers. Why would you 'handicap' yourself by doing away with one?

2. Will you use a different finger for each and every note (even if the next note is on the same button and/or is the same note)?...Common sense says surely it means better/easier playing using the same finger if it is there on the button already.

(..I'll just try and press the lid down on those particular cans of worms)

Two good questions that I have seen come up in different debates on this site. Since I'm a bit limited by the lack of C#D instructors; I have been following several of Stiahm's videos. I know that the playing fundamentals are probably the same between all systems but he is currently my best influence. That being said, I've been practicing pinky-less. Things may change as I develop my own style but for now that's where I'm at. I'm also trying to finger switch (there's probably a correct term) as much as I can mostly because it makes sense to my brain to do so. Maybe it's because I've never played piano? Who can say at this early stage.

[Barlow]

It's difficult to know what direction when you are doing your own thing and as I far as I can tell there is no defined right/best way.

But from your above post I would suggest that you are on a good road.