Irish Accordion Lesson #1 - [The Basics] Learn With Alan Kelly

This beginner Irish accordion tutorial shows you how to play the accordion step by step. Professional Irish Accordion player Alan Kelly introduces you to the instrument, how to play the piano and bass notes, the scale of G and a simple tune with bass accompaniment. By the end of the lesson, you will have learned the basics as well as a great new Irish session tune.

00:00 Video Introduction
00:45 Intro to the piano accordion
01:17 How to hold & control the accordion
02:34 The scale of G
05:05 The tune played normally
05:49 The tune taught phrase by phrase
07:44 Whole tune practice
08:50 Intro to the bass
11:46 Bass exercise
13:23 Bass accompaniment for the tune
17:49 Whole tune practice with bass

Course Synopsis:
Piano Accordion Basics is for the absolute beginner. The first five lessons concentrate on the right-hand melody, with a new tune covered in each lesson. Lessons cover simple Irish tunes that are well-known globally. Hand and finger positioning, and basic ornamentation—cuts, triplets, and slides—are discussed and demonstrated. From lesson seven onwards, the left-hand bass is introduced. For the bass lessons, mp3’s of the melody on its own are included, giving you the opportunity to isolate and perfect the accompaniment aspect of playing. Singling out the melody in this way facilitates that progressive shift in learning: from the foreground, almost one dimensional, melody to the textural backdrop that is the foundation of a lively ceilí.

It can take some time and practice for both the left and right hand to be co-ordinated with each other, but this is where the beauty of video tutorials come in. You are encouraged to stay with a particular tutorial until its elements are mastered. Listening to how the tutor is playing the tune and then mimicking it is the age-old way the Irish tradition has been passed down through generations. With the video footage, you have the added benefit of pausing and repeating as often as you need, without any fear of testing the tutor’s patience!

The course offers a really diverse mix of tunes, all beginner, well known Irish tunes and song airs:
Oró Sé Do Bheath Abhaile
The Spanish Lady
The Kerry Polka
Peg Ryan’s Polka
Dalaigh’s Polka
The Toormore Slide
Roddy McCorley’s March
Baby Rory’s Slip Jig
The Killavil Jig

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[ejy]

Okay so I see a lot of people on YouTube trying to teach instruments. I mean, I'm just 16 and I'm about 4 years strong with music but for some reason this tutorial seems like one of the most professional ones I've seen so far. He breaks it down, doesn't go on about things that don't have to do with the actual playing, and he shows everything. I love it lol

[denyspushenko]

Why am I watching this at 2 am, I dont even have an accordion

[potatokitty]

Okay youtube... I'll learn accordion.

[amissamente]

Thanks for the video. Since I have the time now, I'm going to learn how to play my Grandmothers accordian. It was left to my mother and now to me. I wish I could have learned in their lifetimes but now is as good as any.

[seancahill]

I recently found my dads old accordion and this really helped

[remiterlaud]

happy to see accordion on this channel !! Please, give us more !! Thanks a lot !!

[artelagro]

I have never seen anyone teach 'by ear' before. I will try this.

[kanchanaweerakoon]

Thank you. You were so clear and comprehensive.

[ceriturner]

Just bought my first accordion so feeling very ropey though this lesson helped enormously. Would like more advice about how the bellows part should be moved.

[chiayanhui]

Thankyou very much for nice and clear teaching methods.

[hebronmessagesandsongs]

nice tutorial. very useful to me . I am from India i am self learning

[sotaamaus]

Well....I'm not welcome... I'm VERY welcome. Hahaha my fav part of the video

[nerotrinidad]

My Dad is a player of this instruments he is the only one in our place before Butuan City Philippines...

[USMC_BABE]

I can't wait to get one I already play an 30 button Anglo concertina quite well

[tachiluz]

Thank you! Wonderful lesson
What is the kind of accordion you have ?
Sounds so lovely better than any I've heard here in states.
I bought a welistheimer and doesn't have the sound I so wanted but now I can't take it back so I must suck it up get good and pray I can one day get my dream sound accordion
Thank you for the lesson

[trymidsalarthun]

the light makes the keys blend together i cant see anything youre doing

[s.d.davidson]

I keep getting distracted with the beauty of the accordion.

[tandemwings]

NEVER before seen a 78 bass accordion.

[c_farther]

Enjoyed video, hope there are more to come. Subscribed.

[raye]

I've picked up accordion a few months ago, after decades of playing the piano. Much of this lesson was covering content I already knew, so I fast forwarded through some of it, but I did learn a new tune. This tune is good for practicing and getting the G to Em jump under your fingers. Do you have courses beyond this one, for more advanced players? I do want to get comfortable and learn the style, and some traditional Irish session tunes. I did like the teaching style of the instructor.