3 Best Recordings of Irish Accompaniment

[Bertram Henze]

When using recordings for an inspiration, it must be observed that those accompanists had time to experiment with tunes they know. That is not too hard to do.

Where the challenge comes in is when sitting in at a session and hearing an unknown tune for the first time. Good accompanists can join in after the first time round because they recognize the harmonical pattern from other tunes they know. This way, you can slowly increase the rate of unknown tunes you can join, but you'll never reach 100% because there is always the odd tune you have no pattern for yet. I have heard totally seasoned accompanists harmonically trainwreck a tune outside their comfort zone without even noticing it - the knack is knowing when not to play.

[Beanzy]

Check out Dennis Cahill too. He’s a master at leaving space and making others sound good.

[Dagger Gordon]

Check out Dennis Cahill too. He’s a master at leaving space and making others sound good.

Martin and Dennis are excellent indeed, no question, but I have always felt their combination owed a lot to those earlier Burke/ O Domhnaill recordings and they would no doubt have often seen them play, particularly in the States.

I guess not everyone reading this thread would necessarily know that Kevin and Michael both moved to the States after the Bothy Band, basing themselves in Portland, Oregon (hence the second album title) and Martin and Dennis also live in the States. It has always seemed to me, looking at it from Scotland, that their music became influenced by this American experience but in turn became very influential in the Celtic music scene in the States in a way that is perhaps subtly different from how it might have been if it was solely Irish-based. The same could be said for California-based Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, I think.

But in turn again, all of this music has been hugely influential back in Ireland and Scotland

[Beanzy]

Definitely, but Cahill has something like a harpists head working on a guitar.
I think his stuff with Hayes and even some of the stuff with The Gloaming is an attempt to recapture some of the space that so often gets driven out of the more modern session influenced music & the ceileidh band drilling from the ‘30s onwards.

[DougC]

Think I could get away with just Volume 2? Volume 1 looks like general stuff I may already know. Any thoughts?

The first volume describes how to play like specific guitarists who represent different styles. For example DADGAD done by Daithi Sproule and Mark Kelly from Altan. There are chord charts and chord progressions that they use. He does this for about a dozen other players including, Arty McGlynn, Dennis Cahill and Johnny Doyle. And there is a CD for the audio instruction.

There also is instruction for very advanced players. Transposition, chord construction, chord voicings, some music theory, modal accompaniment, relative minors, knowing the notes on the fretboard for DADGAD, standard tuning, Dropped D, Double Dropped D tunings. Strumming and picking - right hand technique is also discussed.

The second volume (that I don't have yet), does the same but with more current guitarists.

Kilkelly writes from a guitarist's perspective. He knows what you need at all levels of skill. There is stuff there for advanced players that will keep you challenged.

[Blues Healer]

I'm partial to Paul Brady & Andy Irvine. Paul Brady is a wonderful accompanist, whether solo or in an ensemble. Andy Irvine , rather than strum chords, plays a lot of melody and counterpoint lines, and weaves through other players in an intriguing way. And of course, on their watershed album, they had Donal Lunny driving the pace.

[Bertram Henze]

Paul Brady is a wonderful accompanist, whether solo or in an ensemble.

Especially, he was able to follow Andy Irvine's wild time changes.

[Dagger Gordon]

I saw Andy perform in a small room with no amplification on Sunday night in the North of Scotland.
He's still pretty good. He performed for over two hours in a relaxed atmosphere where he did some songs he hadn't sung for a while.

[Dagger Gordon]

https://www.facebook.com/france3brei...5410954152591/

Breton musicians Sylvain Barou (flute) and Ronan Pellen (cittern) have made an album of Irish music. Sounds fabulous.
https://www.sylvainbarou.com/barou-pellen-cd

[Perry]

Ok. I've been playing trad for a while, however, I have to be honest, I come from a rock back ground, and while I listen to trad, its not my go to, that I have in my playlists. I enjoying playing tunes, but not really sitting around listening to tunes unless I'm just chilling on a Sunday, and then it's probably background music.

There. I've confessed.

However, I'm an average rhythm player, and would like to get better. Over the years its happened naturally, but I still can't do mind boggling accompaniment that just lifts the whole session. (Which I admire quite a bit and would like to be able to do.)

So, if there were three albums to listen to, study and play along with, what would they be?

I don't care if its guitar, or octave mandolin or bouzouki. I play mainly octave mandolin for this purpose (or a guitar tuned to New Standard Tuning (5ths)) so I will adapt.

I thought about taking John Doyle's class at Celtic Week, but I've done that before, and while he's a great player, he's one of those teachers that burns through an idea and then says... OK... now you do it...so not interested in that again.

Thoughts?

This book has lots of great tips and ideas

[foldedpath]

https://www.facebook.com/france3brei...5410954152591/

Breton musicians Sylvain Barou (flute) and Ronan Pellen (cittern) have made an album of Irish music. Sounds fabulous.
https://www.sylvainbarou.com/barou-pellen-cd

Thanks for that heads-up! Sylvain Barou is one of my favorite flute players, and the backing on that clip from Ronan also sounds great. Just ordered the CD.

Edit to add: I couldn't quite place the jig in the video clip ahead of "Kid on the Mountain," but I just realized after another listening that it might be a setting of "Welcome Home Grannia," one of those tunes (with extended march/jig/reel settings) that's on my "have to learn soon" list. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that, but it sure sounds familiar but different.

[Graham McDonald]

Hunt out the Tommy Peoples & Paul Brady LP The High Part of the Road, Shanachie 1976. It was re-released on CD in the 90s

[mrmando]

Anyway, if you're accompanying mainly on an OM in 5ths tuning, then I'd recommend the two albums by Aly Bain & Ale Möller -- "Fully Rigged" and "Beyond the Stacks." Ale Möller does a great job on latmandola (a 5-course, sort of cittern variant).

Second this. Just snagged a copy of Fully Rigged and it's marvelous.

Also, you absolutely must listen to Dennis Cahill backing Martin Hayes, particularly on Live in Seattle.

[Gerry Cassidy]

Wow! Many, many great references in this thread!

Alec Finn's pocket almost always sits well in whatever tune he's backing. That, as well as his note selection, has always put him at the top of my list.

I'm a GDAD guy, influenced by his DAD. I also tune to DADGAD when accompanying on the guitar. I think his influence has a lot to do with that, as well.

I can listen to him play just about anything, but his work with Mary Bergin is at the top of my list. Stuff like the Feadoga Stain recordings.

[Shan Andy]

There is one gem not mentioned yet, and that is Frank Kilkelly's book, (and now 2 CD's), called "Accompanying Irish Music on Guitar."

For someone who is not a particularly skilled or technically knowledgeable musician, with no intention of using the guitar for this, how useful is the book & CD?

I ask because it seems exactly what I'm looking for.

[mandocrucian]

Fully Rigged is a great record and Möller's playing is tremendous. I think of him along the lines as a Nordic Martin Carthy. He also did a 2nd one with Aly Bain, Beyond The Stacks

However, you should be aware the he is playing a rather unique 10-string: bass string has an extended scale, there are individual "pinpoint" capos so he can alter the tuning, plus some 1/4 tone frets for those in-between pitches.

Möller is also a member of the band Frifot with Lena Willemark with numerous albums out. There were two albums with Willemark and some jazz players under the Nordan Project moniker. This first on, Nordan, is excellent. There were some older solo albums (Bouzoukispellman) but they are probably out of print. (In fact, he no longer had a copy of that and asked me to run off of a copy if for him.)

There's also the Ale Möller Band which has a multi-ethnic lineup and is a fusion of various world roots music.

For a long (but not complete) discography, click on the Wikipedia link below
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ale_Möller

[Narayan Kersak]

Wow! Many, many great references in this thread!

Alec Finn's pocket almost always sits well in whatever tune he's backing. That, as well as his note selection, has always put him at the top of my list.

I'm a GDAD guy, influenced by his DAD. I also tune to DADGAD when accompanying on the guitar. I think his influence has a lot to do with that, as well.

I can listen to him play just about anything, but his work with Mary Bergin is at the top of my list. Stuff like the Feadoga Stain recordings.

I agree, this has turned into a thread, that any devoted trad student could really grow from. I think, I may start at the top, and go down and learn what I can from each recording.

Thanks everyone.

[Dagger Gordon]

[B][I]

There were some older solo albums (Bouzoukispellman) but they are probably out of print. (In fact, he no longer had a copy of that and asked me to run off of a copy if for him

I think Bouzoukispellman might have been reissued in 2015.

https://musikverket.se/capricerecord...elman/?lang=en

[Reinhardt]

How about Adam Rhodes of the bands IMAR and Barrule. very rhythmic player, top notch in my opinion.

[Narayan Kersak]

How about Adam Rhodes of the bands IMAR and Barrule. very rhythmic player, top notch in my opinion.

That in particular looks like fun to learn from. I also began experimenting with playing my octave mando capoed up around that same area and really enjoyed that sound.

although is he playing and GBOM or GZouk?

[Beanzy]

Loving all these examples, they bring home the importance of how good backing in Irish music (perhaps not so much in the broader Celtic genres) is about making the melody sound out and giving space for the nuances of intonation of the melody instruments to come through.

A wee aside;
Watching the Ímar video brought to mind something that’s been niggling me for a while about those newer style deep framed bodhráns.
They’re ok when playing around the edge or on the rim, but they get very bongo-like when the tipper hits towards the centre, giving a popping bubble effect which I find very distracting from the melody. The Ímar video makes it very obvious. Anyway that’s just a bit of an observation of a Celtic music trend I could do with seeing pass as a fad, rather than getting embedded in the traditional side of Irish music.

[Reinhardt]

That in particular looks like fun to learn from. I also began experimenting with playing my octave mando capoed up around that same area and really enjoyed that sound.

although is he playing and GBOM or GZouk?

It's a Guitar Bouzouki made by Nigel Forster. I bought Adam's original standard Forster bouzouki from him about 2 years ago. Lovely guy and great player. Some great Scandinavian players out there as well.

[DavidKOS]

A wee aside;
Watching the Ímar video brought to mind something that’s been niggling me for a while about those newer style deep framed bodhráns.
They’re ok when playing around the edge or on the rim, but they get very bongo-like when the tipper hits towards the centre, giving a popping bubble effect which I find very distracting from the melody. The Ímar video makes it very obvious. Anyway that’s just a bit of an observation of a Celtic music trend I could do with seeing pass as a fad, rather than getting embedded in the traditional side of Irish music.

I'm not the biggest fan of the bodhrán;

http://www.ceolas.org/instruments/bodhran/history.shtml

"The bodhrán is an old drum but a young musical instrument. Although it has existed in Ireland for centuries, it was introduced into traditional music performance only in the 1960s, and became common only in the 1970s.

..........
Until the 1960s, it was uncommon outside southwestern Ireland; it was introduced to modern traditional music to Sean O Riada, who used it in his arrangements for Ceoltóirí Chualann and the Chieftains."

Sean O Riada did not like the drumming in Céilí bands, so he pushed the use of the bodhrán.

https://leavingcertmusic.weebly.com/...ute-bands.html

To me it sounds like tennis shoes in a clothes dryer.

Enough so that Chris and Devon Caswell have taught beginner bodhrán classes using cardboard pizza boxes...and they sounded pretty good.

Let's adapt the saying about jazz drums to Irish sessions:

"It takes a really good bodhrán player to be better than no bodhrán player."

[mandocrucian]

"It takes a really good bodhrán player to be better than no bodhrán player."

Hmmm .... Pretty snarky.

Same could be said of banjo or mandolin (gasp!) or accordion or bagpipes, depending on your personal biases.

Any good drummer/percussionist is going to be effective tapping on a desk, himself, a paper bag or cardboard box or shaking a bottle of vitamins, a bag of un-popped popcorn. or a bundle of goat hooves

[DavidKOS]

Any good drummer/percussionist is going to be effective tapping on a desk, himself, a paper bag or cardboard box or shaking a bottle of vitamins, a bag of un-popped popcorn. or a bundle of goat hooves

I sold bodhrans for decades. Perhaps I am jaded.

And your last sentence was pretty much my point. Any good drummer/percussionist