Providing accompaniment to folk melodies? help needed.

[oscarr111111]

My dad and his friends have a Céilidh band which I occasionally play live with (bass guitar), when I'm staying with my parents I'm often invited to practice with them too. I'd like to play piano accompaniment to this kind of music, I know that piano isn't really traditional in this style but it'd just be fun and good practice to be able to accompany my dad on his Melodeon.

 

Can anyone give me any help on what kind of techniques I could use to play an interesting but tasteful accompaniment to this kind of music (examples of the kind of tune I'm talking about below) other than just hammering out chords?

 

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/pub-session-tunes/008715.HTM

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/pub-session-tunes/005682.HTM

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/pub-session-tunes/014548.HTM

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/pub-session-tunes/001035.HTM

 

I can already accompany most of these tunes on bass guitar and I've written my own basslines to some, the rest I can improvise over the chords relatively easily, the same techniques I use on bass do not translate so easily to piano though. What I'm aiming for is really just to lay out the harmony, perhaps add some harmonic interest but not overcomplicate things.

 

Thanks for the help.

[delirium]

Tyros 2 could help...