B/C Accordion Foundations

B/C Button Accordion Foundations Overview

11 lessons teaching how to play 11 very popular Irish tunes.
Progress at your own pace, pause & repeat videos.
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PDF sheet music & mp3’s to download & keep for each tune.
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B/C Accordion Foundations is suitable for those who already have a basic understanding of the accordion. If you are familiar with the scales of C major, D major and G major, and already have a few tunes learned in the Irish traditional style, then this is the course for you. If you’re new to the button accordion then head over to our B/C Accordion Basics course.

By the end of this course you will have a wonderful repertoire of 11 Irish traditional tunes which include Polkas, Slides, Slip-Jigs, Jigs, Hornpipes and Reels, all of which are popular, well known, session tunes. The course has 11 lessons, broken into 3 to 4 tutorials each, where tunes are taught phrase by phrase.

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images of lessons

Course Structure

The first half B/C Accordion Foundations introduces basic ornamentation skills: cuts and grace-notes, triplets and rolls. The second half focuses on variation and how to subtly change the ornamentation and melody of the tune for melodic and rhythmic interest. Teaching methods are firmly rooted in the traditional ways of teaching Irish music; tunes are broken up into short phrases that are played repeatedly, prompting the student to play along after listening once or twice to the phrase.

The tunes taught in this course are:

The Balllydesmond Polka
My First Night In America
The Boys Of Bluehill
The Tulla Reel
The Red Haired Lass
Ship In Full Sail

Dennis Muphys Slide
Off To California
Drowsy Maggie
The Maids Of Ardagh
The Black Haired Lass

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Sheet Music and Mp3s available to Download for each Tune

Sample Sheet Music

Download The Ballydesmond Polka ABC Sheet Music.
Download The Ballydesmond Polka Standard Notation Sheet Music.

Sample mp3 of The Ballydesmond Polka

Download The Ballydesmond Polka mp3.

Your Tutor

All-Ireland champion accordionist Dáire Mulhern, from Ennis, Co. Clare, is a musician of high calibre who has toured both Europe and America extensively with Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann and other traditional Irish dance shows and bands. He completed his degree in music at Limerick Institute of Technology where he specialised in composition and music technology. He has had a composition of his recorded by leading Irish band ‘Beoga’ on their album ‘The Incident’ . A respected teacher in the Munster region of Ireland, his students frequently attain All-Ireland titles at the annual Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Read more.

Frequently Asked Questions answered by Course Tutor Dáire Mulhern

What accordion tuning should you get?

The two most common accordion tunings are B/C and C♯/D. B/C is more popular but plenty of players have C♯/D. Examples of well known B/C players are Paddy O’Brien and Joe Burke. Popular C♯/D players are Maritin O’Connor and Sharon Shannon. Another not so well known tuning is D/D♯ which is played by Tony MacMahon.

What is a reed?

A reed is a metal strip attached to a wooden unit. The metal strip vibrates when air pushes it, creating your desired note. The average Irish accordion will have 2-4 reeds per note.

What is the difference between wet and dry tuning?

Dry tuning means all the reeds are tuned very close to perfect pitch. Usually one set of reeds is at perfect pitch and the others are slightly flat or sharp ( a measure of a few cents). Wet tuning means some of the sets of reeds are tuned considerably further away from perfect pitch than a dryly tuned instrument. Typically you still have one set of reeds at perfect pitch but the other sets will be tuned flatter or sharper to achieve the desired wet sound.

What should I look for in a good accordion?

It’s hard to know exactly what to look for in a good accordion. Everybody’s preferences are different. Variables such as button height, bellow length and air button set up (some are pushed down…others in) are typical examples of what to look out for and what might make the difference to your playing. The weight of the instrument is very important also, some accordions are very heavy and not suitable for the smaller framed individual. The most critical factor is probably tone. Again this is completely unique to an individuals taste. Some people prefer 2-voice accordions, others 3 or 4 voice. Some prefer wet tuning, some dry. If you’re completely new to this and a bit anxious about joining sessions perhaps a 2-voice accordion with a more dry than wet type of tuning would be suitable.

What are some good Irish accordion brands?

There are many brands of Irish accordion available. Some of the best include Kincora, Briggs, Paolo Soprani, Manfrini, Van der Aa, Saltarelle, Hohner and Cairdin & Castagnari.

What's the best Bass/Chord layout?

A good example of an 8-bass/chord layout is as follows:

A/E (Out/In) on the inner top bass/chord buttons closest to the bellows, D/G (Out/In) on the outer top bass/chord buttons closest to the air button. F/C (Out/In) on the inner lower bass/chord buttons closest to the bellows, G/D (Out/In) on the outer lower bass/chord buttons closest to the air button. Personally when it comes to the chord buttons, I would leave the thirds out of the chords. Otherwise there’s the potential for harmonic dissonance/clashing.

One strap or two?

Again this comes down to personal preference. Until a scientific study is done proving that it’s better for your posture I’ll keep playing away with one;-)

Detailed questions and discussion on the course can be found in the Community Forum, available to paying members only.

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