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Scales And Other Exercises


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Hi :)

 

I spent most of yesterday "mapping" out the keys on my beloved Norman 30 button C/G Anglo, as I realised that some of the notes are in different places to my what I was used to on my old Stagi.

 

While it is true that I have been accused in the past of being "way too organised" (guilty as charged, but only musically and at work :P ) I realised that I didn't really know the top row as well as I would like.

 

So here I am a day later, with charts that look more like eletrical diagrams than anything else; but I think they will really help me learn my way around my concertina. (Wow - I didn't know I had a G natural on the top row! :lol: )

 

During my one fabulous lesson with Mary MacNamara, Mary suggested playing scales utilising the different note positions. (This might not be everyone's cup of tea, but knowing my musical background, Mary thought it would help me :) )

 

So far I have mapped out three ways to play the C Major scale, and today will be working on other Scale charts so that eventually every note is covered.

 

The point all this rambling:

  • I was wondering if anyone else out there has taken this approach, and

  • taking the Norman not positions into account, whether or not my charts would be of use to anyone else?

Cheers,

Morgana :D

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Mick Bramich's book, The Irish Concertina, is organized around the common scales, and for some scales he shows multiple ways of playing them. I started with this book but have since shifted to working with Niall Vallely's CD (which doesn't take a scales approach) and simply fooling around with tunes in a trial-and-error approach to figure out how to play them.

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Mick Bramich's book, The Irish Concertina, is organized around the common scales, and for some scales he shows multiple ways of playing them.

 

Hi Michael,

 

Mick Bramich's book shows more than one way to play common scales; however it doesn't cover all variations, which is something I need to learn; also the notes on my Norman are slightly different to the layout in this book. :)

 

I really like Niall Vallely's CD; but as I also spend a lot of time on other written or audio sources for tunes, I really need to familiarise myself with all three rows, so that when I am working out a tune I have the maximum choice of note positions available :)

 

Cheers

Morgana :)

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Although I like the Bramich book, when I wanted to learn all the different key positions, I found too many different scales a little counterproductive. It was too hard to sort out all at once. What really helped me was to practice a few scales that I already knew and make myself play every unison note I could at each note. Naturally, you need to find scales that will use both push/pull variants. The same approach works with tunes, but you'll suffer complete breakdown while you're first learning.

 

Another useful and related variant was to practice single note triplets using the different variants for each note. Also, practicing rolls and other ornaments using the different buttons is both good mnemonically and for inserting them into the tunes. These can be all in one bellows direction, or with changes in direction. Choose a button you're unfamiliar with and make it the "center" note.

 

It took me about twenty years of music (I'm a slow learner) to discover that scales and exercises don't have to be mechanical and boring. What is needed is to devise your own variants of them to strengthen your particular weaknesses.

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My concertina is just a 20button and that is plenty for me right now. I am trying to stay away from books and using only what Is already in my head. If I can dust the cobwebs off the things that I have already learned but never applied and somehow amazingly bring them to life I will feel sucessfull. On guitar,if you find a scale, it has a definate pattern. If you move the same pattern to another place on the neck you play the same scale just in different key. Knowing this it is easy to change keys on guitar and only know one finger pattern. The next step is to learn that if you know one scale pattern that there is a definate pattern above and below that one and to slowly explore from the one into the others. I don't know if this application will hold true for concertina but since iv'e been exploring just the top row of mine I have really had a lot of fun and so far have only had trouble with harmonizing certain notes the way I want to because of push vs pull on different notes. I really enjoy the way you guys talk about your instuments and I am learning a lot just by reading your posts!

Be back soon

Jim

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Jim, the two rows on your concertina will be identical (in terms of where the notes are in their respective scales) but are pitched a fifth apart, the row nearer you being one fifth higher than the one further away.

This will mean that you can get a pull note which is the second in the scale on the further row (third button), on the push on the nearer row, with the second button (runs to get concertina to check this out!).

Hope this helps!

Samantha

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I spent most of yesterday "mapping" out the keys on my beloved Norman 30 button C/G Anglo,

:huh: 'Hello, my name is bellowbelle and I am a mapper and charter...' -- There I am at Mappers & Charters Anonymous.

 

Which doesn't really mean I'm too organized, hehee, simply that maybe I'm intrigued with the notion of order in the universe, or, in somebody's universe.

 

I don't play Anglo or know about the Norman...but, just letting you know, I think it's always great to chart and map!

 

I am presently, gradually, organizing my various 'charts and maps.' I have some things posted online, but, there's a lot more to go...

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Thanks for the tips. I have just started playing and mapping the inside row and at least on a 20 button their is a pattern. I one time tried to make a list of every scale pattern possible on the guitar and gave up after charting several hundred ways to play a C scale. After much thought I decided that if I could open my mind to understanding the big picture that all the variables would be contained within it and that I would then know them all. I found my answer one night while stargazing. I like being able to look up at night and name the constellations. My interest in astronomy is very limited, I like to just use my eyes only, and naming what I see while adding a little trivia makes for interesting lite conversation. The revelation came when I started thinking about how the constellations parade across the sky every nite. they appear in the east and travel across the sky and then disappear in the west. They circle back around and appear in the east again. If I look for Orion in the sky in the same place every time it will confuse me because he may or may not be there;He may be just east or west of where I am looking for him or nowhere in site. But! once I have found him what I can count on is that he will always with out fail be pointing his arrow at Taurus and Gemini will be over his head and Cancer will be behind Gemini and Leo will be behind Gemini and on and on. Wow!!! At that point I abandoned the idea of learning the guitar neck by position and started looking at scales and chords like the constilations and learning how they relate to each other and their positions in relation to each other. Call me crazy but this makes sense to me and puts things in a much easier perspective.

Well I Guess Thats About It!!! :huh:

 

Jim

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From an approach where I tried to use every variant when it seemed to make things flow best I have changed to one where I try to use fewer buttons. This came about when I managed to score four lessons with an Irish player from Clare who was passing through Australia, by the name of Martha Clancy. She comes from Milton Mowbray and is a cousin of Padric Rhynne.

 

I had thought that reducing bellows changes in difficult passages by using scale variants was being practical, even though it lead to athletic fingerwork at times. But Martha would put reversals in the most surprising places, like in the middle of triplets, (ie. B, right hand pull, A pull left hand/G push left hand on the C row) or ornaments all in the name of emphasis. Try the example as a triplet and you will see at speed it gives a real bark, whereas all in the same direction it is more plain. To her the bellows reversal is not a matter of getting more air, it is a musical device.

 

And she would not stray from using certain buttons unless there was some really good reason. If you look at the "most used keys" sketch on Niall Vallely's CD then he has these same buttons marked and makes the same suggestion.

 

The plus from this is faster bellows reversals are becoming a natural thing for me, whereas before I tended to pull long phrases out of the box, and look for push notes where I could use the air button to recover.

 

I guess my reason for writing this here where it must look slightly oblique as a contribution to the subject, is I suspect in my case being able to play all the variants might add to my ability on the concertina, but not necessarly add too much to my ability to play the music. Your mileage may vary. I should add, I am not a scales type person, more your instant gratification type. As I get older I find myself defining instant as longer and longer, which does help.

 

One thing that was brought home to me was the benefit of having a teacher. After playing at home for a couple of years I made huge strides in a couple of weeks of lessons. It made such a difference to see the physicality of playing, the bellows control and the relaxed fingers. Constant weekly lessons like my son has on guitar would be so great.

 

Regs

 

Chris

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I think that was a great contribution!!! I am totally new to the concertina and really like it. Balanced bellows reversals are best for me now in order to play at all. Some times while playing the bellows start growing or shrinking too fast I think to finish a phrase. Since I don't know what I am doing really I fumble around with the idea of different fingering. My goal is not to learn every variable in a scale or to know every chord but to know how they all relate to each other and understand the master layout so that I will keep a balance with "knowing what to play" and "knowing how to play". I have spent a lot of time learning how to play and then when my skills were polished I did not have much to play with!

I enjoyed reaing your thoughts!

 

Jim

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The whole point of my attempt at scales/exercies is to learnt where all the notes/buttons are. Scales etc are something I am used to, from many years of music lessons on other instruments, so I have to at least give it a try :)

 

Chris: I'm having my first lesson with Martha on Saturday, and am really looking forward to it.

 

Cheers

Morgana :D

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Enjoyed everyone's comments.

 

I think having a teacher would be wonderful. Stop bad habits before they became entrenched. Keep you moving forward as you need to be ready each week.

 

Unfortunately concertina seem to be very sparse. Glad you guys are getting some lessons. I'm looking forward to concertina camp this summer.

 

Helen

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As a new concertina addict (3+ months) with a bit of a piano background, I have been facinated and occasionally confused by the options. Lately I find that I want to play an F#, G, A sequence in the left hand all on the pull by using the middle finger for the G on the top (accidentals) row, and the F# on the G row, and the A on the G or C row depending on the situation. I also use the G draw button (accidentals row) on the right hand for an E (draw on left index finger) to G sequence as an alternative to using the E & G on the push sequence depending on the phrasing. Sometimes I practice the G scale on an all draw basis, and other times on an all push (except for F#) basis.

 

Sometimes I move the finger positions themselves as when I try an A scale, I start with the ring finger on the top row push A, then the pinkie on the B draw (C row), then the middle finger on the C# push, then the ring finger on the D draw, then the E with the natural middle finger on the push, then the pinkie on the F# draw, and finish the first octave with the G# and A on the top row played with the index finger (G#) and third finger (A) on the push. I go on similarly to the next octave with the only glitch being that the same finger is used for the B & C#. This may sound complex, but to me it is really the simple way that the fingers fall. I otherwise keep them over their respective buttons, but I wonder if what I am doing is setting up bad habits.

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