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Theme Of The Month 11-2013: "comfort" Tunes


Jim Besser

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Jamie Allen (on treble English)

This Northumbrian polka has long been a favorite of mine. On the second time through, the first few notes of harmony in the A part owe a lot to Alistair Anderson's Concertina Workshop tutor, but then I went my own way.

 

Concertina Workshop has been a great resource for me. I especially like Jamie Allen - for some reason it just falls under the fingers... and sounds good too! Thanks for sharing your version(s). Its good to hear how someone else (other than Alistair) plays it.

 

I too had a little trouble with the 'Theme', as the tunes I really enjoy playing for myself are the ones that I find a little more challenging and so give me a real buzz when I get them right - so these aren't my comfort tunes. But then I guess that it doesn't really matter how you interpret the theme - no-one is going to argue with your choice. I chose to to emphasise the comfort aspect with the full knowledge that I'll get a chance to play my other favourites when they fit with a different theme another month.

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I too had a little trouble with the 'Theme', as the tunes I really enjoy playing for myself are the ones that I find a little more challenging and so give me a real buzz when I get them right - so these aren't my comfort tunes. But then I guess that it doesn't really matter how you interpret the theme - no-one is going to argue with your choice.

 

Well, for me there's a wide range with the concept of "comfort" - right up to its religious meaning. Since I might not draw real comfort out ot a tune I hardly ever manage to get through properly, I don't feel forced to restrict myself to the ease of playing OTOH. Might thus just turn out as some kind of "food for the soul" (as I believe Jim to have intended this first theme anyway).

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So here it is - the concertina tune that comforts me most these days; played, not performed - as suggested, with some unevenness, over-excitement and all... :)

But you previously said (in another thread):

But if you're an "English" type of musician (or should I say: folkie; because regardless of its primal image as the instrument for the Victorian lady folk music is what the EC is really meant for IMO)...

Methinks you are contradicting yourself with that recording. ;)

 

...the Duet does not necessarily have to be the system of your choice even if you don't want to confine your playing to single line melodies.

Now that's more like it! :)

 

And well done!

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But if you're an "English" type of musician (or should I say: folkie; because regardless of its primal image as the instrument for the Victorian lady folk music is what the EC is really meant for IMO)...

Methinks you are contradicting yourself with that recording. ;)

 

I knew that someone would point out this discrepancy since I had written that... :D

 

But at least I play my tune in a slightly folky way, don't I? B)

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So here it is - the concertina tune that comforts me most these days; played, not performed - as suggested, with some unevenness, over-excitement and all... :)

Nice Wolf. I'm used to hearing this played hesitantly by a beginner pianist so it's good to hear it done properly. In fact I don't think I'd realised quite how jolly it could be given decent treatment.

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So here it is - the concertina tune that comforts me most these days; played, not performed - as suggested, with some unevenness, over-excitement and all... :)

Nice Wolf. I'm used to hearing this played hesitantly by a beginner pianist so it's good to hear it done properly. In fact I don't think I'd realised quite how jolly it could be given decent treatment.

I think of this as #15 in the Suzuki violin school book 1. Bravo! for making me think of it afresh.

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These have been great to listen to. Now I want to learn to play 'Jamie Allen' and a few of the others, too! I have played the Bach 'Notebook for Anna Magdalena' piece on my piano accordion but have yet to try it on the concertina.

 

Lately, haven't played a whole lot, as a result of having played a whole lot! Got very sore fingers and thumbs.

 

When I play for comfort, that means I'm not really playing any tune, usually. I play random chords and notes, usually with a bit of a pattern, but a lot of no-pattern, and.... I dunno, maybe it'd be called 'free jazz' or something. I experiment with intervals and progressions. This IS in fact comforting!

 

I do actually have one particular thing that I get 'stuck' on playing. 'No Clever Lines.' The recording I have of it, from years ago, is kind of embarrassingly awful. I wrote the basics of it, then added stuff that I've never written down. I can tell you that it's my rabbit's favorite, so -- at least some other living creature seems to enjoy it, ha ha....

 

I will add it here, so you can marvel over it's horror... :blink:

 

I like the words, kind of, and I like the chord progression in the faster, lighter part. I've always had a bit of trouble singing it -- run out of breath.

 

No Clever Lines

 

The words are:

 

There are no words;

I look under the bed,

Behind the pillow,

And inside my head.

I look out my window,

See squir'ls, but no words,

Climbing on the feeder

Where there are no birds.

 

No clever lines today,

Nothing I have to say,

Just need a tune to play,

Something to please;

No worry over words;

Happiness will be heard,

Clear as the singing birds

Up in the trees.

 

 

Here's a .rtf file of the ABC. It's not every note, though, just part of it. I had this in the Tune-O-Tron.

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I do actually have one particular thing that I get 'stuck' on playing. 'No Clever Lines.' The recording I have of it, from years ago, is kind of embarrassingly awful. I wrote the basics of it, then added stuff that I've never written down. I can tell you that it's my rabbit's favorite, so -- at least some other living creature seems to enjoy it, ha ha....

 

I will add it here, so you can marvel over it's horror... :blink:

Wow! I'm marvelling :-) I liked your accompanists. Nice touch.

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I do actually have one particular thing that I get 'stuck' on playing. 'No Clever Lines.' The recording I have of it, from years ago, is kind of embarrassingly awful. I wrote the basics of it, then added stuff that I've never written down. I can tell you that it's my rabbit's favorite, so -- at least some other living creature seems to enjoy it, ha ha....

I will add it here, so you can marvel over it's horror... :blink:

 

Wow! I'm marvelling :-) I liked your accompanists. Nice touch.

 

Thanks....Yeah, my parakeets are a blast! They live with the rabbit, in the garage. Where I record our 'garage band.'

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