The Piano
The use of the piano in traditional music is question able, though many older musicians actively seek a piano accompaniment. It is possible to trace its presence in the music back to the early recordings of Irish music made in America and its subsequent use in ceili bands; one could also speculate about the piano's representing an ideal of musical respectability. One of the problems is that the piano's predetermined intonation sometimes clashes with that of more 'traditional' instruments; the other is that many piano 'drivers', as they are sometimes known, are insensitive and domineering. However, there are some players, notably Charlie Lennon, who are content to accompany the music instead of drowning it in a sequence of inappropriate chords; significantly, Charlie Lennon is perhaps better known as a fiddle player.