jaspeter

I'm glad you raised this question, Matthew, since I've been wondering the exact same things - including keeping the Elise as a "beater"! I don't have any answers, or money to initiate the upgrade right now, but I'm hoping to be in your predicament in the not-too-distant future!

I have cheap omnidirectional lavalier mics that I Velcro on the handrests toward the back of the instrument, so they're under my palms/wrists. This positioning seems to minimize button-noise and ambient noise since they're somewhat pointed toward my body. I also use the 3M Command Strip Velcro with the hope that it will come off cleanly when I need to finally remove it. I was concerned that the placement would selectively amplify those notes with valves toward the back, but I can't say I've really noticed that to be a problem.

Thanks for this! An interesting approach, different to what we've heard so far. Now added to the Soundcloud set. --- Q: What instrument is this played on? A duet of some sort? I played this on my trusty Elise. I should probably include that in the description for future reference. I haven't saved up for one of the new Hayden duets yet, and the "New Concertina Fund" keeps getting used for home improvement projects. I wanted to post it as a video on YouTube where you'd be able to see the concertina, but I recorded it in the morning, using coffee and music to try to fight morning demons, bed head, and a messy living room. Thanks for adding it to the set. That was a great idea to make it so we could listen to all the contributions by only having to visit one place!

Better late than never, I suppose! Here's my contribution: https://soundcloud.com/jason-p-9/la-luna-dins-laiga I have been hoping to try to do something in "French Cafe" style, or something that I would associate with that, anyway. This tune isn't really meant for that, but the title was French, so I thought I'd go for it. I had to learn a few different chord structures for some of the major sixths and sevenths, and I stuck with block chords in the bass line. This was partly because I'm still getting familiar with the chords and partly because I liked the fullness and little bit of dischord that they make. I don't like that they're hard to transition between, though. Overall, I feel it was a somewhat successful experiment because I feel like sitting down with some wine and cheese when I listen to it! Of course, that's probably not a fair measure, since I often feel like sitting down with a bottle of wine and some cheese. Also, I "cheated" a little bit in that I had to electronically balance the melody from the accompaniment because of the big chords in the bass. I have a setup with two lavalier microphones mounted behind the handrests and plugged them straight into the two line inputs of the recorder. I'll post the details in the appropriate thread if anyone's interested. I also added a touch of reverb, since the placement of the microphones pretty much isolates the concertina from the room acoustics.

Very nice playing, indeed! The thing I didn't like about it is that it made me want an instrument like that even more than I already do!

Thanks for the warm welcome! My concertina is, indeed, an Elise. I have serious coveting issues over the Peacock and the Beaumont, but it does what I need for now! One of the things I really like about these Tunes of the Month is the wide variation in sounds and ideas that everyone has for a given tune. It's an extremely enlightening concept and I certainly benefit from the opportunity to hear them all. I hope participation in TOTM continues to build.

Hi All, I've been lurking around here for awhile now, but never posted. I love the Tune-of-the-Month idea, though, so much that it dragged me out of the shadows and into the 21st century! I even had to figure out how to post to YouTube! It's a great excuse to try to learn songs (I worked on the last couple of months', but didn't have the nerve to post) and I really want to support it and not let it die. So, here's my contribution: Thanks for a great site and great ideas! Jason