Two steps forward, one step back

[LDT]

I have to be carefull with bellows anyway in order to play quietly so no one but me can hear.

I thought the idea was to play sufficiently loudly so that your "audience" could hear you.

I am the audience. The other's are critics.

[Anglo-Irishman]

"you see the other tunes I play but I don't Play....its all from writing out the button numbers' rather than actually off by heart."

 

Find a slow air that you like, (listen to Danny playing Rosline castle for example) get the notes and "ham it up to the hilt". Even if it comes out awful it will be done with feeling and that has to be an area to work on to get away from just pushing the buttons in sequence.

 

LDT,

I agree! Pressing buttons one after the other was the way we used to operate mechanical typewriters. Music is different

 

But how do you "ham it", get expression?

 

One good tip is to invent lyrics to the tune. They don't have to be immortal poetry, but they should make some kind of sense, even if it's in a trivial way. With "Bobby Shaftoe" you can save yourself the trouble, because it's a song, and has lyrics ready-made. Try saying the words in your head as you play each line. Think how you would say those words, if they were yours:

 

"Bobby Shaftoe's gone to sea" (A simple statement of fact, no particular emphasis.)

 

"Silver buckles on his knee" (You're impressed and a little proud that your boy-friend is so well-off and well-dressed.)

 

"He'll come back and marry me" (You would know better than I do what feeling goes into that line! Boastfulness? Secretiveness? Joy? Pride? Satisfaction? ...)

 

"Bonny Bobby Shaftoe!" (A sigh of delight/longing/fondness.)

 

Try to feel the various moods, and play louder or softer, more smoothly or more briskly accordingly. At least each phrase of the tune will come out differntlty, and they will be phrases, rather than just sequences of notes.

When you do this, you'll notice that a little break or kink creeps in after every four bars of the tune (I'd write it in 2/4 time, if I had to). This is a good thing to have in dance tunes, too. Start afresh after each kink (even though the beat goes on). That's called "phrasing", and is a Good Thing!

 

Now you suggest the feeling that goes with the line "Bobby Shaftoe's gettin' a bairn"

 

Cheers,

John

Edited July 24, 2009 by Anglo-Irishman

[Rod]

I have to be carefull with bellows anyway in order to play quietly so no one but me can hear.

I thought the idea was to play sufficiently loudly so that your "audience" could hear you.

I am the audience. The other's are critics.

 

LDT, Am I the only one who was not paying attention when you told us the details of the new instrument that you have ordered ?

[LDT]

I have to be carefull with bellows anyway in order to play quietly so no one but me can hear.

I thought the idea was to play sufficiently loudly so that your "audience" could hear you.

I am the audience. The other's are critics.

 

LDT, Am I the only one who was not paying attention when you told us the details of the new instrument that you have ordered ?

i was going to wait till it was in my hands and announce it. Along with a video and pictures.

Been trying to decide what the inorgoral tune should be.

Any suggestions?

[Leo]

i was going to wait till it was in my hands and announce it. Along with a video and pictures.

Been trying to decide what the inorgoral tune should be.

Any suggestions?

Hi LDT

 

I would think one of these would suitably impress anyone: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/02/we...ese-scores.html

 

Thanks

Leo

[JimLucas]

i was going to wait till it was in my hands and announce it. Along with a video and pictures.

Been trying to decide what the inorgoral tune should be.

Any suggestions?

I would think one of these would suitably impress anyone: http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/02/we...ese-scores.html

The Lost Chord

?

Or since you have to keep yourself locked away where your critics can't hear you, how about Old Maid in a Garret? (You could change "old" to "young".)

[Chris Drinkwater]

Nearly a year and I'm still stuck on the one tune Bobbie Shaftoe...can't seem to process anything more sophisticated..so you are ahead of me.

 

The fact that you are still sticking with learning the anglo after nearly a year of still being stuck on the one tune. shows a wonderful determination on your part to keep at it. Many lesser folk would have given up in disgust by now and chucked their concertina in the nearest skip. I have tried learning to play the guitar, flute and melodeon in the past with varying degrees of success and failure, mostly failure and finally found an instrument that I liked and wanted to learn to play, that, having got one, I made sufficient progress on in a relatively (to me) short time of 3 months, that I amazed myself. That instrument? The English concertina. Many years ago, I saw one for sale and the array of buttons and how closely they seemed spaced together, really put me off. This instrument is way too complicated to learn, I decided. Years later, having bought a melodeon, which I thought would be easier to learn because all the buttons on a D/G one are in two rows in a straight line, I did manage to make some progress on it over a period of 5 years! I learned the melodies to a few dance tunes and this gave me the confidence to think about buying an EC and learning to play it, which I have done. I dropped my previous mindset that such an instrument was way too difficult to learn and that removed a major stumbling block by changing my attitude and negative belief, to 'yes, I can and I will'. Now, four years later, I feel sufficiently competent in my playing to play in a band and do solo floor spots in folk clubs. This is something I could only dream about before. Of course, I practise everyday and do so because I enjoy it. And that helps. Also, I have found the right type of instrument for me. So, don't give up. Some people are quicker and more adept at learning a particular new skill than others. You are obviously a talented graphic artist and designer. I am not. I might try and find myself hopeless at it. So, don't beat yourself up. And if you can't make the progress you're happy with playing Bobby Shaftoe, try the Keel Row variations. I am sure Danny C will give you some pointers! BTW, someone recently lent me a hammered dulcimer to try. I have never had a go on one before. No tutor came with it, yet within half an hour, I had worked out how to play a tune called 'Jenny Lind' on it. OK, not to the same standard as people like Jim Couza and the late Billy Bennington, but hey, pretty good, I thought. The reason? Well, once you have learned some tunes on one type of melody instrument and you have them in your head, it is often not too difficult to learn to play those same tunes on another melody instrument, once you have familiarised yourself with the basics of the instrument and the note layout on it. Maybe you should get a hammered dulcimer. They are very popular in East Anglia.

 

Chris

[Rod]

I have to be carefull with bellows anyway in order to play quietly so no one but me can hear.

I thought the idea was to play sufficiently loudly so that your "audience" could hear you.

I am the audience. The other's are critics.

 

LDT, Am I the only one who was not paying attention when you told us the details of the new instrument that you have ordered ?

i was going to wait till it was in my hands and announce it. Along with a video and pictures.

Been trying to decide what the inorgoral tune should be.

Any suggestions?

LDT. Compose a little tune for us and call it what you like. Other peoples tunes need not necessarily be the best. Rod

[LDT]

The fact that you are still sticking with learning the anglo after nearly a year of still being stuck on the one tune. shows a wonderful determination on your part to keep at it. Many lesser folk would have given up in disgust by now and chucked their concertina in the nearest skip. I have tried learning to play the guitar, flute and melodeon in the past with varying degrees of success and failure, mostly failure and finally found an instrument that I liked and wanted to learn to play, that, having got one, I made sufficient progress on in a relatively (to me) short time of 3 months, that I amazed myself. That instrument? The English concertina.

I actually find meldoen much easier...but then for me melodeon is like sweets and the concertina like vegetables..you know its good for you but unless you grit your teeth and eat it even though you hate the taste you'll never get used to it.

 

Maybe you should get a hammered dulcimer. They are very popular in East Anglia.

Is East Anglia part of Essex? ;P

 

LDT. Compose a little tune for us and call it what you like. Other peoples tunes need not necessarily be the best. Rod

 

Well I gave it a go....these were the best results...I was really afraid of subcochously just using another tune I'd heard elsewhere without realising.

 

version 1

http://www.onmvoice.com/play/7555

 

version 2

http://www.onmvoice.com/play/7556

 

opinions welcome.

[Pete Dunk]

i was going to wait till it was in my hands and announce it. Along with a video and pictures.

Been trying to decide what the inorgoral tune should be.

Any suggestions?

 

Sorry I let the cat out of the bag LDT, I thought I'd read your post on here but it must have been on melnet or spibo.

 

Pete

[Hereward]

Good results LDT and it goes to show what you achieve now that your doubts are behind you and you just let go and move with the flow of th instrument.

 

Ian

[LDT]

i was going to wait till it was in my hands and announce it. Along with a video and pictures.

Been trying to decide what the inorgoral tune should be.

Any suggestions?

 

Sorry I let the cat out of the bag LDT, I thought I'd read your post on here but it must have been on melnet or spibo.

 

Pete

That's ok...you didn't know...I didn't say it was a secret

 

it was on the spiers & boden forum...I think...my memory is terible.

[LDT]

Good results LDT and it goes to show what you achieve now that your doubts are behind you and you just let go and move with the flow of th instrument.

 

Ian

I decided I wanted to put the scales I've been doing (till boredom sets in) to use...so I put one in there. I can't wwrite music so I kinda just wrote it down in my own kinda notation....and recorded the audio.

 

Still think I should have made both a little longer.

 

Maybe I should call one 'two steps forward' and the other 'one step back'. lol!

Edited July 25, 2009 by LDT

[Rod]

Good results LDT and it goes to show what you achieve now that your doubts are behind you and you just let go and move with the flow of th instrument.

 

Ian

I decided I wanted to put the scales I've been doing (till boredom sets in) to use...so I put one in there. I can't wwrite music so I kinda just wrote it down in my own kinda notation....and recorded the audio.

 

Still think I should have made both a little longer.

 

Maybe I should call one 'two steps forward' and the other 'one step back'. lol!

 

LDT, have you ever tried augmenting your tunes with a few two or three note left-hand chords ? Relatively easy to do on an Anglo. That's where we have the advantage over brass, woodwind and other single note instrumentalists who have no choice in the matter and are dependent upon others to provide any harmony. Bertram Levy is quoted as calling his Anglo a 'laptop orchestra' ! Not a bad description.

[LDT]

Good results LDT and it goes to show what you achieve now that your doubts are behind you and you just let go and move with the flow of th instrument.

 

Ian

I decided I wanted to put the scales I've been doing (till boredom sets in) to use...so I put one in there. I can't wwrite music so I kinda just wrote it down in my own kinda notation....and recorded the audio.

 

Still think I should have made both a little longer.

 

Maybe I should call one 'two steps forward' and the other 'one step back'. lol!

 

LDT, have you ever tried augmenting your tunes with a few two or three note left-hand chords ? Relatively easy to do on an Anglo. That's where we have the advantage over brass, woodwind and other single note instrumentalists who have no choice in the matter and are dependent upon others to provide any harmony. Bertram Levy is quoted as calling his Anglo a 'laptop orchestra' ! Not a bad description.

that is what I get stuck on every time.

[Rod]

Good results LDT and it goes to show what you achieve now that your doubts are behind you and you just let go and move with the flow of th instrument.

 

Ian

I decided I wanted to put the scales I've been doing (till boredom sets in) to use...so I put one in there. I can't wwrite music so I kinda just wrote it down in my own kinda notation....and recorded the audio.

 

Still think I should have made both a little longer.

 

Maybe I should call one 'two steps forward' and the other 'one step back'. lol!

 

LDT, have you ever tried augmenting your tunes with a few two or three note left-hand chords ? Relatively easy to do on an Anglo. That's where we have the advantage over brass, woodwind and other single note instrumentalists who have no choice in the matter and are dependent upon others to provide any harmony. Bertram Levy is quoted as calling his Anglo a 'laptop orchestra' ! Not a bad description.

that is what I get stuck on every time.

 

Trial and error can teach a lot. I haven't the patience for musical theory or a printed score. For true (solo) musical expression, become thoroughly acquainted with the instrument and the music and then try to play by ear from the heart. Eventually your fingers will instinctively find the correct notes and appropriate chords which are singing in your head. I can't be the only Anglo player who gets by on this method !