I played my concertina at church this past Sunday, and sang in harmony with my father, except for one song where I did the main melody. My husband joined in on his harmonicas, for most of it. (This was at a First Baptist Church.) 'On The Wings Of A Dove' was at the request of a church member, in memory of another member who passed away a while ago -- it was a new song to me, but I do remember the departed member singing it in church, years ago. Gee, never did I dream I'd be a)back at church, b)singing and playing a concertina, and c)doing a song apparently made popular at different times by the likes of Ferlin Husky and Merle Haggard!!

Rather than upload everything here, I'll just post a link to my blog entry at wordpress.com that has all the various links and info. So, HERE IT IS.

It was fun to do this, though really what I'd hoped to do at the church was more of just group singing -- not being featured as 'special music. 'Especially since it's not really exactly what I want to do on concertina (country-type gospel). But, just due to various idiosyncrasies of the congregation or whatever, this is how it's gone so far.

The two recordings are a bit rough, since I just set my digital recorder in a random spot to record, but -- it's 'ok.'


So, that's what went down on Sunday June 1st at the First Baptist Church!

Your instrument sounds really well. What is it?
But I felt like it's taking over the singing, with the arpegio like accompaniment.
May be it would be better to play chords on it. On the other hand that may too, be too strong. May be just drones and open chords? (I think it's called "open", when it has no third?). So the singing will come through stronger and provide the third. May be it's that thing again, when third in concertina doesn't sound right because of equal temper. No?

Wendy,just listened to "Wings of a Dove" you have a very lovely voice.
Well done
Al

good to see others playin at church. i squeeze mine at lest 3 times a week in church, at the assembly of GOD church where i attend. will be playing at a gospil singing friday nite. all i play is gospil, as matter of fact will be squeezeing on the streets of dallas before the signing. jim

How come I'm always humored for my English mistakes?

Hello Wendy,

I enjoyed the listening to the songs. A person should never apologize for going to church and using your talents for the Lord. Many Crane (or Triumph) concertinas were used by the Salvation Army as part of their worship and outreach.

My Tedrow Bb/F concertina as well my Wifra Anglo and Koot Brits Anglo C/G concertinas accompany me every Sunday to church. I have recently placed an order with Bob Tedrow for an Ab/Eb anglo (with the Amboyna veneer and fancy fretwork) for the purpose of using it in church. Thank God for double cases!

Most of my concertina playing, just like CHAINYANKER, is gospel music (I do play a bit of Boer Music too).

mistakes. i wrote every thing on purpose.

Mm... me too!!!
But that big bad Jim Lucas, he will always find oy vey to ridicule mee.

Thanks!




Well, that's exactly part of my dissatisfaction, re the 'various idiosyncrasies of the congregation' I referred to -- I don't really want to play my concertina (Morse Albion English) as the primary accompaniment for singing gospel songs (or, most typical songs) as solos or duets. Things have gone that way, but all I'd really wanted to do was to get a monthly hymn-sing going, where there was equality among participants and freedom to join in with whatever instruments. So, I don't intend to keep up many repeat performances of the same!

Now, I love my concertina... though, it was once suggested to me that maybe I should use a more mellow-toned type. Probably, though, my playing is part of the issue, as well as the 'edge' in my voice, and I'm not sure a more mellow-toned one would matter. But, I don't intend to do a lot of singing. Some, but not a lot. And, my concertina IS a voice... it's really got a voice of it's own, it's not particularly best at 'accompaniment,' at least not for me.

I'd prefer to play my accordion at the church, sometimes, and just play the tune on the keyboard. But, for one thing, when we started the monthly meetings, the 'main musician guy' there (my uncle by marriage, in fact) is/was the accordion player. So, my concertina could blend in. But, he doesn't seem too interested in doing much with me (which is fine by me, actually).

Because there is always so much ego associated with churches, I think that some people assumed that I wished to become some kind of soloist or gospel singer. I tried to explain what I was hoping for, but... that didn't seem to be heard!

My own plans are to do more recorded 'experimental' things, and put them into the contests at ourstage.com (as I have done recently). My recorded things will not work as solo live performances in a church, but they will be more what I want and be nicer for my concertina, too! I don't really care about winning the contests, but it's just kind of fun to watch the ratings go up and down.

To do 'experimental' type music is the only way I think I will reconcile my voice and my concertina -- or any concertina. The line-by-line type of song doesn't work well.


Well, I certainly got wordy, here!!!!


Like you two, Chainyanker and Ben.... I love to sing those old gospel songs. I bought several songbooks just to try to get a hymn-sing going. I'd gone out to some sings held by an off-shoot of a local Folksong Society, but I find the gospel songs so much more rewarding. And some of those musicians in the folksong sings were so downright cranky! Drove me nuts. There's one guy that is just too rude to me -- I won't even go to anything that he's going to be at, so... my church is a better place, even with it's own set of meanies, heheh!

I agree here. I don't find concertina to be especially good at accompaniment. If that's what you are saying.



What? Ego associated with Churches?
Run away from that place, it's a nest of Devil himself!
I didn't expect to here this, really. Hmm. Wow! What can I say?
That's pretty bad.

I am organist (concertinist) for our Masonic Lodge as far as I know I am the only concertina player playing for Masonic Meetings Worldwide.
This involves Marches (hence The Manor Royal March) hymns and some song accompaniment.
On Monday I received a promotion and it was presented by the Sussex Provincial Grand Master.I was one of about one hundred receiving promotion all of which went on stage received a quick handshake (a special one) and that was it.When I went up he said "Hallo Alan Have you got your Concertina with you?"
Also at the meeting The Sussex Air Ambulance Charity received a cheque for £50,000 just one of over one million pounds from our County alone that was donated to charity over the last year.
Al

Congratulations, Al! I know that the Masons do a lot of good things for charity, though that's always been a 'mysterious' sounding organization, to me! My great-grandfather (a sheriff in a small Vermont town, I'm told) was apparently in the Masons, but I never met the man and know very little else about him. Anyway, I know he didn't play the concertina... certainly I would have heard about that.


m3838: No, no running away from the Devil... he's everywhere. Just don't let him be the boss!

Wendy it is just like an Agatha Christie book if you know who did it before you read it,it spoils it for you.That is the only reason there are secrets.Like the books all the information is available if you care to read it. Sadly like all walks of life a few people can give the organisations a bad name.The good things are forgotten.Most Hospices are supported in some way by Masons. I enjoy the tradition and that is what attracted me to it in the first place.
I have diverted the thread away from your excellent performance so please forgive me.With a voice like yours you should consider making a CD if you have not already done so. I fancy one of those foot bases.I may buy a little battered harmonium and make one.
Al

Intersing topic - concertinas and worship!

For me, they are certainly linked.

My first contact with the concertina was as a small child, when my mother took me to the Salvation Army Citadel on Sunday mornings. From then on, the concertina was what I wanted to play when I grew up.

When I was 18 and had got my first concertina - an East German 20-button double-reeder - my first public appearance with it was at a service that my youth group were holding at a country church near our summer camp. I led the singing.

Many years later, at my son's Confirmation, they were looking for someone to play a voluntary during the laying on of hands. So I volunteered, and played the Bandoneon to which I had meanwhile progressed. This was also the first public outing on that instrument.

I read somewhere that the Bandoneon was developed for - among other things - small church congregations that had no organ. Certainly the sound of mine reminds me of the harmonium we had at home.
The Salvation Army is associated with the Triumph duet - but before 1912, they used Anglos. (The rather stilted, anaemic sound of the English just wouldn't have suited the Sally Army, would it? )

I do play a few old-fashioned Gospel songs on my anglo, but my sacred repertoire is more in the direction of Scottish Psalm tunes (I'm a Presbyterian, after all!) and Wesley hymns (my mother's side of the family are Methodists) with the odd chorale thrown in (I now live in Germany).

Cheers,
John

I am an atheist, but I love to play in churches!

As for playing in church, I started thinking about it again after singing folksongs/popular songs at some 'sings,' because I just didn't find them really energizing enough. It got to the point that I left feeling tired, not revived. Even though the 'sings' include, if one wishes, selections from the songbook's chapters on 'Gospel' and also 'Spirituals,' there was just too much of a ... what? I dunno, like a restrained, psuedo-intellectual, cerebral, 'wrong-chakra' type of feeling to things. The first meeting or so was great, but then I started going home tired.


So..... I decided I kinda missed singing some of the livelier, gutsier gospel songs that I'd song in past years. Don't know what you've got till it's gone, as they say! (This is not to say there were no lively and gutsy musicians that showed up at sings...I may yet go find some of them at other events.)

As I said, even the church-singing isn't quite going just right for me, but all in all it's probably a better choice for me as far as sociable singing goes.


As for making a CD ... I do intend to, Al ... but it may not be any pro type of thing. (Not too many people really want to listen to me, and if they do, they're simple enough to love a homemade copy, heheh.) But, it'll be a while, still. I need to do a lot of composing, and get all the material that I want to have. It probably will appeal to very few individuals, in the end!