Next Saturday (Jan 7) I'll be playing at Boston Celtic Music Festival (BCMFest), which is a bunch of local Irish/Scottish/etc musicians performing in 3 different venues on the same block down in Cambridge.

I'm actually playing twice during the day, once at the church venue (parlor stage) with Corvus, and once with my good friend and neighbor ( Read more... )

It never ceases to amaze me that people actually watch my YouTube stuff. I mean, sure, my mom was all over it, but that’s to be expected. But I’ve been at music weekends and met people who say “really, that’s you?” when I mention it.  I’ve been introduced as “she made those hornpipe videos you’ve been watching”, and I’ve even had someone say “OMG, ( Read more... )

 Mrs. Elizabeth Crotty is matriarch to the modern concertina player, a key player in the 1950's.  She favored the key of C and enjoyed ornamenting tunes with doubled octaves. This is presumably a hornpipe from her repertoire (rather than one named in honor of her), and I would assume that it's a traditional tune associated with her rather than a ( Read more... )

This is a "steppy" kind of hornpipe, with a bit of the classical dance-hall feel; I have loved it ever since I learned the tune from a tin-whistle tutorial cassette by Olcan Masterson in the mid-1990's, but have never actually heard it played by anyone other than him (and me).  With any luck, it hasn't shifted beyond recognition in the past 16 ( Read more... )

Mickey Callaghan's Fancy is a tune I learned entirely because a concertina player I know always plays it right after Stack of Wheat in sessions; so it eventually sank in by osmosis.  One of those tune pairings that sounds clever on your own but the transition is a real bear to pull off in a session - the first half-bar is almost indistinguishable ( Read more... )

Recording something to my satisfaction is difficult when
1. I'm playing a borrowed instrument
2. I realize while setting up the camera that I really don't like the tune very much.

On Wednesday, Chris Stevens and I lent each other our concertinas.  His is also by Dipper, but older than mine, and metal-ended instead of wooden.  The ends are definitely ( Read more... )

This was one of those beautiful times when the recording was quick and painless - not quite a one-take marvel, but close.  I'm kind of surprised; I've half-known this tune for a long time, and labored under the impression it was incredibly difficult.  That opening phrase made me use buttons that aren't normally my #1 choice, so without sitting down ( Read more... )

On the topic of hornpipes with so many notes there's no real flexibility, I'm reminded that I let the livejournal slide and didn't get all the videos I posted to YouTube crossposted here.  Nominally, this was the July 11 recording. :)

I first heard Irish music and knew that it was Irish music and found it vaguely interesting in maybe 1989-90 or so, ( Read more... )

This is one of those times I spent waaay more time on this than I ever really intended to.  The Golden Eagle is a real notey bastard of a tune.  
Stylistically, this tune is like late-1800's popular dance music, with a bit of a ballroom or schottische feel in my opinion - but it's pretty solidly planted in the Irish tradition now, whether it was ( Read more... )

I have overcome my technological difficulties, and got hornpipe #33 up on YouTube on Monday.
I recorded this last last Monday, as opposed to 2 days ago, as evidenced by my fuzzy long-sleeved shirt.  recently, it's been in the 90's; the previous weekend was highs around 65, evenings in the mid 50's, which made the house really cold when all the ( Read more... )