Speed the Plough - Embellishments and Variation

Speed the Plough is probably the most widely known English session tune, but unfortunately gets played in a very basic style. There are lots of really good versions in different manuscripts and on recordings, and this tries to pull together some of them to give some possible variations on the tune.

The Music

The most important point for playing this tune is keeping your 4 right hand fingers in position on buttons G3, G4, G5, & G6. This allows the slightly tricky descending patterns such as bar 7 to be played fairly easily, without your fingers falling over themselves. The E played on D3' should use finger 1, allowing finger 2 to play the two A notes on G3' in bar 4. The lowest notes G2' in the turnaround bars should be played with finger 1.

The Video

Eh' Cumpari

This traditional Italian tune, made famous in 1953 by Julias La Rosa, is a really good beginners tune for the melodeon.

Begin this tune by placing your right hand fingers on the G row in the home position; your first finger on button 3, second on button 4, third on button 5, and fourth on button 6.

The whole tune can be played using these fingers to operate its specific button.

Pay attention to letting fingers fly away once they have played their note; they should stay on the button or hover just about it.

To read the notation: each number corresponds to a button on the melodeon's G row. G5 would mean play the 5th button of the G row on the push (closing the bellows together). G6' would mean play button 6 of the G row on the pull (opening the bellows up) etc.

If you find you are running out of air make sure you use the air button to refill or empty the bellows.