I’m sure this question has been asked often but before I take the plunge I would be most grateful for some advice. I’ve been playing the whistle for some time and have become almost passionate about ITM. For some time I’ve been considering the Melodeon and I’m about to take the plunge. However, I have questions.
Bearing in mind it is definitely ITM as opposed to, for instance, English Folk or ought else that I’m interested in, should I be looking at a B/C or D/G?
Price wise I don’t want to skimp too much and finish up with something that sounds ghastly but at the same time I don’t want to spend silly money. I was wondering about a Scarlatti Rosso or something along those lines.
Any suggestions and/or comments would be hugely appreciated…
Oops. a bit more research and already I am learning just how little I know. I am referring, I gather, to a button accordion (two rows) as opposed to a melodeon (one row)
For Irish music BC or C#D would be the systems of choice with 90% of players on the BC.
DG etc are used by the occasional player for Irish music (usually outside of ireland I’d hazard). Most of these folks probably came to ITM via another musical form, or couldn’t get a hold of one of a semi-tone box where they lived, or were not aware that the other systems were favoured when they started up. Some of these playesr can be very good, but if you are starting out and want to play irish music and sound like an irish style player then it is probably better to go with BC or C#D.
That’s just the sort of helpful advice I was looking for. I deliberately chose to post on this rather than the Free Reed Instruments forum as I was hoping for advice specific to ITM which is what you have given.
Hope I don’t appear too greedy but do you have any suggestions as to makes and where to buy?
My disclaimer, which I should have really attached to my earlier emssage, is that whilst I’ve been playing irish music on the banjo for a number of years I’m pretty new at the box.
I obtained a tarted up hohner erica (c#d) from Martin Quinn last summer after borrowing an (untarted up) erica from a friend. I’m very happy with it and would recommend it as an instrument in itself. It would however be wrong of me to recommend it in comparisson with other boxes as I don’t have the necessary experience. Particularly if you have a larger budget to play with than I did. (This is why I side stepped the part about recommending particular boxes before).
Martin was great to deal with and also does up old Paulo Sopranis.
best wishes - Chris
ps I went for c#d over bc as I found that fingering more intuitive and wanted to have fun with the box. but going for bc will give you much more choice when it comes to obtaining a box, particularly when it comes to finding a bargain. You are alos more likely to find a teacher or help for bc
Now, watch what you say. I wouldn’t be unsympathetic if rashly making an analogy - even unintended - of our Free Reeds Forum with thesession dot org was not taken kindly by either of their participants.
Remember it? I’ve lived it. I’m grateful I completed my precollegiate studies in the faraway marches where change came slow. Imagine, if you can, my bewilderment when I moved to the Big City and public schooling was “modular”, whatever that means. All I know is that I witnessed that people were able to graduate illiterate if they wanted to.
ya know they’re doin’ it wrong then 
