I am laying myself open to the world here. I only have to imagine someone listening to me playing, and my fingers start going all over the place, that's how bad it is! So I thought the time has come to conquer this fear.

The stress of being recorded meant that I kept making mistakes, and had to resort to the sheet music. Then the dog kept sitting on it. So FWIW, here is my progress so far, complete with mistakes, because the cameraman got bored. The music is on the ground, btw, that's what i'm looking at, though normally I don't need it.

You know, I can't bring myself to put the link......... one.......... two........... three............ JUMP!!!!

Well done you! The video camera always frightens the life out of me. I'm just working myself up to having another go but I know the tune isn't ready yet because if I can't play it stood on my head after six pints of Guinness there's no way I'll be able to do it front of a camera!

It's also interesting that you can put a video up on photobucket, food for thought. Keep up the good work.

Pete.

You can't fight the nature. There are shy people and not so shy. And not so shy may freak out on the stage more than normally shy people. What if, just an idea, to have a goal, going way beyond the just playing in front of people or camera.
The fact of life is: you never really reach your goal. To reach a goal you have to cheat and set up higher goal, then by not reaching your fake higher goal you'll easily surpass your real one. So instead of playing in front, play for dancing. Have some kids around dancing to your tune. Lo and behold, you'll not be concerned about who is looking at you. You get the idea.
Another idea is not just play, but work on expression, putting every millishmooker of your energy into what and how you play.
So after a piece you need half an hour of getting to your senses. That will effectively make you oblivious to who and how many people are listening. That's why those crazy violin players close their eyes, make faces and shake their heads uncontrollably.
Another idea is to put a wide silly smile on your face and keep it, but not frozen, force yourself to feel it as natural. Not only it is therapeutic for you, it will also help you to get elevated. You have beautiful smile, use it.
All is easy to say, but takes hard work to implement, of course. And "to healer - heal yourself first", of course, but we all can jabber, can't we?

Well done on the video. I too, suffer from red button syndrome. I can play fiddle quite well until I press the record button or realise someone is looking and listening. One of the ways I'm learning to overcome this is to record everything I play. I don't listen back to everything, I usually just delete it, but it's amazing that sometimes I actually capture something worth listening to because I get used to the recorder being on.

I look forward to seeing your next video, it can only get easier from here

Thank you all for your encouragement. Tallship, videos take ages to upload to Photobucket!

Can i ask now.......... what about the playing? This one is just the melody, but I can do chords, and I can play the arrangement of "Auld Robin Gray" that Pauline de Snoo put up as her exercise of the month a while back.

Am I at least heading in the right direction? Is there any hope, doctors?

Sounds like you have a good connection to the music, which is one of the most important things, in my opinion. For example, I like the way your body language follows the tune. It adds to the flow and style, you can hear it as well as see it. And I like the way you didn't let a little bobble or two throw you too much, but kept going.

Very nice Ishtar.I liked the tune ,the way you played it and your smile.
I look forward to the next one.
Al

That's my problem too.


youtube is quicker to upload...but if you want to make your video available to a select few only they have to be your 'friend' on youtube.

Box.net is the answer. Or iWeb, but I haven't figured that one yet.

Well, I'd like to hear more accents on the strong beat, more deliberate bellows direction change to emphasize the beats and phrases. It seems your bellows change is neglected. It just happens where ever you happen to be at the time. It's a big one to take care of. Legato/stacatto must be used. It's good to hit strong beat with bellows change and strong finger strike.
The way we push the buttons make a difference too. Slow opening of the valve is different from fast, even on relatively slow machines as Jackie.

Yes, I noticed the random bellows myself. Gulp.

But that's what I need to be told, isn't it? I can get the notes, but I know that there's something missing. Quite a lot missing, actually.

Okay, thank you, I'll research bellows and what to do with them.

Can you explain what you mean by slow and fast opening of valves?

I need a teacher! I need someone who's actually seen an English Concertina before!

I'm not much of a teacher, and my advices should be taken with this perspective.
When you hit the button strongly, it depresses fast, and corresponding valve (pallette) opens fast, sound comes out quick and at fuller volume.
When you depress the button slower, it depresses slower, and corresponding valve opens more gradually, so the sound comes out in gradation, from quiet to full. It makes a difference, I think.
I think also that your best teacher is yourself. Just keep on recording yourself and listen to it. When you notice something you don't like, play again and improve.
I had a chromatic button accordion teacher for 5 years, practiced everyday for 2 hours, but the result was worse than when i played before teacher. So I quit and have bitter memories about it.
The teacher will teach you his own way, and if, God forbid, your way will differ, you'll have inhibitor instead of helper.

I'm sorry m3838 but I must correct your terminology here before Ishtar becomes confused and asks questions elsewhere which won't make much sense.

A valve (in both concertinas and accordions) is a leather or plastic strip that prevents air from going the wrong way through a none playing reed. A pad (traditionally made concertina) or pallette (accordion) is what lifts to allow air to pass through the reeds.

Pete.

Right, right. That's correct. I was looking for word "pad" and it just escaped me.