They say you cannot step twice into the same river. In this book and the accompanying recordings, the river, the moment, the torrent, is the traditional music of virtuoso piano accordion player, Karen Tweed. With timeless reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas and slip jigs all expertly transcribed and laid out, with Karen's choice of chords and - possibly best of all - with her personal thoughts associated with those tunes, this is a marvellous anthology of her personal favourites.
Every musician can, at last, examine and appreciate her interpretations of these tunes, particularly with the aid of the recordings. One thing will come across early to anyone with a grain of sense: Karen's obvious love of and respect for traditional music. Each tune is treated as a living thing, each is nurtured and cherished.
Dip in your toe or immerse yourself in this beautiful collection of Irish session tunes. Suitable for all traditional melody instruments, it includes Karen's versions of several favourites along with a healthy selection of challenges. Chords are given as are hints, tips, illustrations and anecdotes. On two tapes or CDs, Karen plays every tune in her own sweet style, accompanied by Gordon Tyrrall, Peter Houlahan and Seamus O'Sullivan. No musician can fail to benefit from Karen's breadth of experience and depth of comprehension of Irish traditional music.
This is a book about traditional Irish session music, the tunes in this book are not 'piano accordion tunes' but simply versions that Karen has learned on that instrument. They are not intended to be seen as definitive versions, just examples of how each tune can be played; you can adapt the tunes to your own instrument and style.
Foreword by Phil Cunningham, 93 tunes, discography, photographs, Karen's personal thoughts and incidentally, Karen also came up with the intriguing cover drawing along with numerous illustrations inside.
 
Contents
 
Reels 

All Around the World 
Andy McGann's 
Bríd Harper's 
The Broken Pledge 
Bunker Hill 
Christmas Eve 
The Congress 
The Convenience reel 
Corney's Coming 
Dennis Langtou's 
Dinkie's 
The Drunken Landlady 
The Fairy reel 
Fearghal O'Gadhra 
Girl who Broke my Heart 
Hand me Down the Tackle 
Humours of Loughrea 
The Humours of Tulla 
The Kilfodda 
Launching the Boat 
Matt Peoples' 
Maudabawn Chapel 
The Milliner's Daughter 
Miss Thornton's 
The Monaghan Twig My Love is in America 
The Old Copperplate 
Over the Moor to Maggie 
Paddy Lynn's Delight 
The Piper's Despair 
The Raheen 
The Reel of Mullinavat 
Return to Miltown 
Sailor on the Rock
The Scholar 
Seámus Meehan's 
The Silver Spire 
Siobhán O'Donnell's 3 
The Steeplechase 
The Watchmaker 

Jigs 

Boys of the Town 
The Bunch of Roses 
The Bush on the Hill 
Con Cassidy's 
Connaughtman's Rambles 
Connie O'Connell's 
Conway's 
The Cúil Aodha 
The Flowers of Spring Gander in the Pratie Hole 
The Hare in the Corn 
Hartigan's Fancy 
The Humours of Kesh 
The Maid on the Green 
The Miners' jig 
Munster Bacon 
The New House 
Rambling Pitchfork 
Scotsman Over Border 
The Second Victory 
Siobhán O'Donnell's 1 
Siobhán O'Donnell's 2 
Strayaway Child 
Tommy Peoples' 
Tom Trainor's 
Vincent Campbell's
Hornpipes 
The Cliffe hornpipe 
The Cuckoo 
Frank McCollum's 
Joe Skelton's 
Queen of the West 
The Smell of the Bog 
Smith's Favourite Spellan the Fiddler 
The Tara Brooch 
The Turnpike 

Polkas 

Ailbe Grace's 
An Gallope 
Art O'Keeffe's 
The Ballydesmond 
Captain Byng 
Cousin's Delight 
Din Tarrant's No. 3 
Jim Keeffe's 
Peg Ryan's 
Sweeney's 
Teahan's Favourite 

Miscellany

Drops of Springwater 
Going to Well for Water 
Humours of Derrycrosane 
Merrily Kiss the Quaker's 
The Scart 
Whinny Hills of Leitrim