Matt Heaton - Thoughts on accompanying Polkas

Matt Heaton posted a series of bouzouki videos on YouTube some time ago. I can highly recommend these to any bouzouki player. There are videos on different keys, rhythms and chord overviews. One type of tune that is often overlooked is the polka. In this video, 

Matt shows his approach to accompanying polkas. Since the bouzouki tends to vibrate due to its double strings, it is not advisable to play too loudly. Here, he shows a way to play more delicately and emphasise the rhythm. The emphasis here is more on the second beat. This results in a slightly bouncing rhythm.

20 Polkas played on Banjo at slow speed (100BPM)

Ben Hockenberry plays 20 popular Polkas at 100 BPM on his Banjo. Great for trying accompaniment. Remember you can change the speed of the video by clicking on settings (the cogwheel under the video).

 

 Here I copied the list of Polkas in this video:

0:00 Intro 0:16 #20: Knocknaboul (G) 2:21 #19: Newmarket (A) 3:47 #18: Nell Fee's (D) 5:51 #17: Toormore #1 (D) 7:18 #16: Ballydesmond (Dmix) 8:48 #15: Farewell to Whiskey (G) 10:11 #14: Rakes of Mallow (G) 11:35 #13: Jessica's (A) 13:01 #12: Little Diamond (D) 14:26 #11: Maid of Ardagh (D) 15:48 #10: Rattling Bog (G) 17:09 #9: Finnish Polka (Bm) 18:29 #8: Denis Murphy's (D) 19:50 #7: Mickey Chewing Bubblegum (A) 21:10 #6: Ballydesmond 3 (Am) 22:36 #5: Maggie in the Wood (G) 23:59 #4: Ballydesmond 2 (Am) 25:25 #3: Peg Ryan's/Egan's/Kerry (D) 26:48 #2: John Ryan's (D) 28:12 #1: Britches Full of Stitches (A)

This list of Polkas, and others like it for each type of Irish tune, are generated by members of irishtune.info, a free site for tracking practice of your repertoire: https://www.irishtune.info/session/polkas.php

 

By now the top 20 has changed a little bit.

Fernando Barroso - Tips for playing Polkas

 Fernando Barroso published a new video, this time  tips for accompanying polkas. He concentrates on the right hand, so it is the rhythm. Have a watch, this is really helpful and thought out.

And right now he uploaded a video about Polka and PasoDoble melody playing!

Matt Heaton - Backer Corner - How to accompany Polkas

Matt just posted another video in his Backer Corner series. This time he talks about backing polkas. I think his series is definitely one of the best tutorials available at the moment. So have a look at it.

If you are not familiar with Matt Heaton up to now look for Matt & Shannon Heaton on google and youtube. You'll find plentyful of good music and information. They do Slow Sessions on youtube and Shannon published some fine books on Irish Music. https://shannonheatonmusic.com