My C/G has just come back from a tune-up and 10 000 mile service at the hands of Steve Dickinson at C. Wheatstone & Co. So, left to my own devices last night, it was probably inevitable that I’d spend most of the evening playing concertina. And, while you can play all sorts of music on an anglo, there’s no better match of music and instrument than morris tunes played on a anglo-concertina.

So here’s a favourite selection. First up, ‘Dearest Dicky’, one of those grand tunes from the Field Town tradition with, as I believe is appropriate, the A music played twice through each time.

Then another Field Town tune, ‘Shepherd’s Hey’ (otherwise known as ‘Signposts’) which I learned from John Kirkpatrick’s playing on the Morris On LP. And then another ‘Shepherd’s Hey’, from Bucknell – closer to the ‘normal’ ‘Shepherd’s Hey’ but pleasingly idiosyncratic. I learned this from the Lionel Bacon Black Book although, looking at the dots on the Morris Ring site, I think I may have changed it a bit over the years.

Dearest Dicky / Shepherd’s Hey (Field Town) / Shepherd’s Hey (Bucknell)

Played on C/G anglo-concertina

And then finally, the ‘Shepherd’s Hey’ tune which we all know and take for granted and often, I fear, treat with insufficient respect. I’ve long maintained – partly in defence of the fact that I’m not actually very good at playing technically difficult tunes – that getting better at playing your instrument shouldn’t mean that you stop playing simple tunes. On the contrary, becoming a better player should enable you to play simple tunes better. So it is with no apologies whatever that I present a recording of the ultimate in simple English folk tunes. Incidentally, I recorded this twice. The first time was OK, but then I stood up to play it, and it gained a bit of extra oomph in the process – it’s the second recording I’ve uploaded here.

Shepherd’s Hey

Played on C/G anglo-concertina

Bucknell Morris Men 1875