What styles/schools play identical melodies an octave apart?

[MatthewVanitas]

I'm looking into getting a duet concertina, which is a variant of an English concertina in which all the bass notes are on the left hand and the high notes on the right (as opposed to alternating back-and-forth as on a standard English).

I'd read somewhere that duet concertinas were perfect for playing a certain fiddling style in which two fiddles played about the same tune but one octave apart. On a duet, one would just use mirror fingering to play both parts simultaneously.

Is this specific to a certain style or region of Celtic fiddling? Is there a term for it, or some other way I can find examples of such fiddling on YouTube or similar to inform my duet concertina playing?

[johnkerr]

Donegal. For some reason, I'm thinking they call it "doubling" or "reversing." Not much of a concertina tradition in Donegal, though, or even a box tradition - outside of Dermot Byrne.

[SteveShaw]

I believe that the fiddle players Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy, in the Sliabh Luachra tradition, would often play the tunes this way.

[benhall.1]

You hear it a lot from Donegal fiddle players, right enough. I've never heard it on a concertina though. It wouldn't be the same effect.

Meanwhile, I can't think of an actual example, but, since he does it plenty in real life, I'd be surprised if Paul O'Shaughnessy didn't do it somewhere along the lines on CD. Or, maybe better, I do remember hearing quite a lot of it on that fiddle CD recorded up at some fiddle convention a decade or so ago. I'll look it up in a minute ... Here we go: it was called Fiddle Sticks: Irish Traditional Music from Donegal.

You'll also find some examples of it in this programme, the first part of which is linked here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PVj_NIPM6Y

[fel bautista]

I believe that the fiddle players Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy, in the Sliabh Luachra tradition, would often play the tunes this way.

Yes they did and having played a few tunes with a fellow fiddle player, its a lot of fun and sonically sweet.

[benhall.1]

My links and references above were no use then?

[MatthewVanitas]

The links were indeed helpful, as well as having a name/region to associate with the style.

Forgive the delay, I'm in Afghanistan currently so on the internet less than I would normally be.

[benhall.1]

No worries. Just curious as to whether I was hitting the nail anywhere near the head or was rather hitting my thumb.

[colomon]

I believe that the fiddle players Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy, in the Sliabh Luachra tradition, would often play the tunes this way.

Yes they did and having played a few tunes with a fellow fiddle player, its a lot of fun and sonically sweet.

Didn't they use it more as a cool variation for one time through the tune rather than playing the entire tune that way?

I also seem to recall that Elizabeth Crotty sometimes played in octaves on her concertina....