6 replies to this topic

[cryptastix]

well the topic is the question.

 

but I'm also curious how the volume is on the English too. I cannot have the bass over-power the treble

[Geoff Wooff]

That is like asking   'how long is a piece of string ?'... 

 

Balancing the volume of the two hands  of a Duet  can depend on lots of factors :

 

The quality of the instrument  and how it is set up ( or designed )  will control  what is possible and what is not.

 

The word Duet  suggests  that  two voices  will   be used, one on each hand probably,  and a  reasonable volume balance  would therefore  be  required between  each. But controlling the  output of  low and high reeds  using a single  air supply  and then adding the factor  that many people wish to  play  chordal  accompaniment  to a single melody line  and want that to  balance as well......

 

The  player needs to  adjust  and make an arrangement  that suits  the instrument.  You can look at the Duet  scores  available at www.concertina.com  to see what  other people have  devised.

 

On a FINE  concertina  there can  be a balance, top to bottom  ,playing single notes against chords  and doing whatever one likes.  On an English, of course  one needs the left and right to balance  as both hands are engaged  with melody and /or chords  whereas a  Duet  could be organised  in  a way   that   makes the left hand side quieter  so the player can  use  bigger chords...  like an accordion. There have been lots  of  discussions  regarding Baffles, how to make and fit them  and their usefulness .

Edited by Geoff Wooff, 26 August 2017 - 01:53 AM.

[cryptastix]

That is like asking   'how long is a piece of string ?'... 

 

Balancing the volume of the two hands  of a Duet  can depend on lots of factors :

 

The quality of the instrument  and how it is set up ( or designed )  will control  what is possible and what is not.

 

The word Duet  suggests  that  two voices  will   be used, one on each hand probably,  and a  reasonable volume balance  would therefore  be  required between  each. But controlling the  output of  low and high reeds  using a single  air supply  and then adding the factor  that many people wish to  play  chordal  accompaniment  to a single melody line  and want that to  balance as well......

 

The  player needs to  adjust  and make an arrangement  that suits  the instrument.  You can look at the Duet  scores  available at www.concertina.com  to see what  other people have  devised.

 

On a FINE  concertina  there can  be a balance, top to bottom  ,playing single notes against chords  and doing whatever one likes.  On an English, of course  one needs the left and right to balance  as both hands are engaged  with melody and /or chords  whereas a  Duet  could be organised  in  a way   that   makes the left hand side quieter  so the player can  use  bigger chords...  like an accordion. There have been lots  of  discussions  regarding Baffles, how to make and fit them  and their usefulness .

 

 

holy crap that was useful. I'm going to look up baffles soon. I haven't decided what direction I'm going in..

 

but wow. I couldn't ask for a better answer

[Don Taylor]

I struggled for a long time with the LHS overpowering the RHS of my Peacock. I tried leather baffles which certainly muted the volume but also made the tone sound muffled.

In the end I settled on using some craft foam (EVA/PVA) sheets that you can buy at hobby shops (e.g. Joanne's) or off eBay for not much money. I used 2mm and 3mm sheets and fitted as much as I could without the foam fouling the action. It does not mute the volume as much as leather but neither does it dramatically change the tone of the reeds.

I am also learning that less is often more on the LHS - that is to say fewer notes of shorter duration.

Edited by Don Taylor, 26 August 2017 - 09:12 AM.

[Jody Kruskal]

"The  player needs to  adjust  and make an arrangement  that suits  the instrument." Right O.

"fewer notes of shorter duration." that is how I do it on the Anglo and I bet the duet works the same way.

 

Chords and even um-pa rhythmic accompaniment can often be expressed as single low notes. If those notes are played shorter than the melody notes then the melody notes come forward to the listener and so the apparent volume of the melody is increased. The principle of "accompaniment short, melody long" makes the melody louder... regardless of which hand might be pressing the buttons.

[robotmay]

The left-hand side of my Maccann definitely overpowers the treble, but it does depend on the volume you're playing at, and as others have said above; your style of accompaniment

 

Doing full 3 note chords in the bass can certainly cause difficulties if you're playing up high on the treble side, but I've gotten better at allowing for this over the past year. The balance evens out a bit more at higher volumes, I usually play with the bass-end pointed away from other people, and doing different accompaniments such as harmony lines or arpeggios certainly helps.

[Little John]

Some of this has been covered recently in another topic on baffles. See posts 10 and 11 in particular:

 

http://www.concertin...showtopic=19695

 

Very briefly, if the reeds are set up to all start speaking at the same pressure there shouldn't be a problem with balance. Also, you're probably the only one that perceives the imbalance anyway!

 

Apart from duets, there are thousands of people play anglos in the duet style and probably hundreds who do likewise with the English system. Do any of them complain about the imbalance? Is an imbalance evident in the recordings of, say, John Kirkpatrick, Brian Peters, Steve Turner or Dave Townsend?

 

Take a listen to the two recordings in posts 1 and 3 of this recent topic:

 

http://www.concertin...showtopic=19791

 

Lots of sustained bass chords but the treble doesn't get lost. Some of this might be down to technique, but I suspect it's mostly down to John Watcham, like the others above, playing a very well set-up instrument.