We like to keep a reasonable stock of folk and session instruments for all players.

Banjos:
The banjo is a very popular instrument, due to its echarachteristic sound and because it is easy begin to learn to play.

The 5-string "G" banjo (Usually tuned low to high DGBD with a G drone) is the most common and used for country and bluegrass music, usually played with "frailing" and "clawhammer" techniques.

4-string Tenor Banjos (tuned low to high CGDA) are used in Irish, Folk and traditional Jazz music. They have a shorter scale than the G banjo and are usually played with a plectrum.

Other types of banjo exist, including a 6-string banjo that allows guitarists to acquire the banjo sound very easily, a banjo-lele (ukulele with banjo body) and the banjo-lin (mandolin with banjo body).

A studious yet relaxed one-to-one learning environment is provided to students of all ages, ability and musical preference. Whether you want to study academically through the grades, brush up on your existing instrumental technique, or just have fun learning to play your favorite tunes and pieces at your own pace, our expert teaching team aim to fully cater for your individual needs.

Mandolin:
The Mandolin evolved in Italiy from the lute family. Neapolitan style mandolins have a deep bowl back constructed from thin ribs of wood. In the late 19th century, American instrument makers developed the flat-back style, which is more popular with modern players due to the sound projection and also because they are easier to hold.

It is very often used in Irish and folk music, and is also commonly found in bluegrass and country music.

Mandolins are tuned low to high to GDAE, like a violin, but courses of strings to each note give a large tremolo sound.

The big brother of the mandolin, The Tenor Mandola (tuned CGDA) allows lower parts to be played. The octave mandola (tuned an octave below a mandolin) are a more recent development and are popular because of their suitability for Irish music.

UKULELE:
Ukluele is hugely popular at the moment. The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of a small guitar-like instrument brought to Hawaii by Portuguese fishermen. It gained great popularity in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.

The soprano ukulele is the most common size and is usually tuned to ADF#B or GCEA. Concert ukuleles are tuned the same but are built slightly bigger to give a deepr tone and more volume. Tenor ukuleles are the same size as a concert uke but generally tuned up to an octave lower. Baritone Ukuleles are much larger and tuned to the top-4 strings of a guitar (DGBE).

A popular variation of the soprano ukulele is the banjo-lele, which is a ukulele neck on a banjo body. This instrument was made popular by George Formby.

4, 5 and 6-string banjos stocked

A good ranged of concertinas and accordions…

…and often melodeons

Folk musicians use a variety of instruments that can be obtained from Booth’s

BODHRAN:

The Bodhran is a traditional Irish Drum played with a double-ended beater called a "tipper", possibly originating from an ancient form of Celtic war drum. It is made from a round wooden frame, usually 18", with an a hide skin stretched over it. The Bodhran is suprisingly capable of many complicated rhythms, when played well it can really lift the music.

WHISTLES:
The most common whistles today are made of brass tubing, or nickel plated brass tubing, with a plastic fipple (mouthpiece).

Gaining popularity as a folk instrument in the early 19th century in the Celtic music revivals, penny whistles now play an integral part of several folk traditions. Whistles are a prevalent starting instrument in English, Scottish and Irish traditional music, Scottish traditional music and Irish traditional music, since they are often cheap and relatively easy to learn. The tin whistle is the most popular instrument in Irish traditional music today.

Several "low Whistles" are available and were first made in the early 1970s from aluminium tube. The instrument is usually tuned to D, an octave below the usual small D penny whistle, and twice as long.

ACCORDION / MELODEON / CONCERTINA:
The accordion has traditionally been used to perform folk or ethnic music, popular music, and transcriptions from the operatic and light-classical music repertoire. Invented in 1829, its popularity spread rapidly: it has mostly been associated with the common people, and was spread by Europeans who emigrated around the world. The accordion in both button and piano forms became a favorite of folk musicians and has been integrated into traditional music styles all over the world.

Our most popular accordion is the 48 Bass model, for it's versatility and modest price.

A melodeon is a type of button accordion where the melody-side keyboard is limited to the notes of diatonic scales in a small number of keys (usually only one). The bass side usually contains the principal chords of the instrument's key and the root notes of those chords.

In the mid 1830s concertinas were manufactured and sold in Germany and England, in two types specific to the country. Both systems continued to evolve into the current forms as the popularity of the instrument increased. The difference in prices and the common uses of the English and German systems led to something of a class distinction between the two types of the instrument. German or Anglo-German concertinas were regarded as a lower-class instrument and English concertina had an air of bourgeois respectability. English concertinas were most popular as parlour instruments for classical music, while the German concertinas were more associated with the popular dance music of the day.

The folk revival movements of the 1960s led to a modest resurgence in the popularity of the concertina particularly the Anglo. More recently the popularity of the Concertina again seems to be experiencing a resurgence, particularly the Anglo in the traditional music of Ireland.

We have experienced instrument technicians who carry out servicing and repairs to all the above instruments.

A fine selection of accessories is stocked, including straps, strings, tippers, finger picks and cleaning materials for all folk instruments.

Whistles, harmonicas, tambourines, ocarinas, jaws harps, kazoos are just some of the other interesting products we have in the shop.