Learning tunes you don't like

[benhall.1]

There are a lot of notes in it though. Or there were, before the recession.

Oh. H-h-h[I can hardly laugh, I'm hyper-ventilating]a-ha-ha[oh stop, my sides are splitting]-ha-h-h

[Mr.Gumby]

Yes, sorry about that one, it's one of Jackie Daly's standard comments. When we used to play for the sets on sundays he always said that when we played that tune, must have heard it hundreds of times so it comes with [groan] [/groan] tags thoroughly attached. But I can't help thinking of it as soon as the tune is mentioned.

[benhall.1]

Yes, sorry about that one, it's one of Jackie Daly's standard comments. When we used to play for the sets on sundays he always said that when we played that tune, must have heard it hundreds of times so it comes with [groan] [/groan] tags thoroughly attached. But I can't help thinking of it as soon as the tune is mentioned.

Fair enough. If a joke's good enough for Jacky Daly ...

[learnthegrip]

I have always hated polkas. Like despised. Usually when I don't like a tune or a genre of tune it's either because my strongest recollection of it is a horrible rendition I heard somewhere or because I don't understand it. I have an agreement with my piping instructor that we will work on tunes I like some of the time, but other times he'll introduce me to tunes that I don't like, and would never choose to learn on my own. A month or so ago, he taught me three polkas, and after diligently working on them I have discovered that if you can make them swing properly they are quite fun to play. One I still don't care much for, but the other two are a blast. I show off my new-found polka literacy whenever I have a chance.

The Irish Washerwoman was mentioned above as a totally cringeworthy tune. I heard David Power play it at a house concert a few years back and he made it new. I think that if a performer can bring something new and interesting to it even the most cliché-ridden tune becomes enjoyable. David also had the guts to record Gary Owen and again produced a thoroughly enjoyable performance.

[accordionstu]

I will give the Woman of the house a try , what would you recommend to go with it Ben?

Try The Bank of Ireland before it. That pairing has a provenance, as it used to be played so by Bobby Casey, IIRC. Besides, The Bank of Ireland is a cracking tune on wind instruments. A real winner.

Thanks benhall, I had a crack at those two tunes last night and they do sound great together, not sure if my playing does them justice but i might record them and post later.