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In praise of a good hard case
priscillaj replied to Halifax's topic in General Concertina Discussion
On Facebook page for 'Concertinas are Cool' there was discussion about cases. The old/vintage overnight travel cases like American Tourister, etc, might work in a pinch. Some measure 9x9x16 inches and could be retro-fitted, or padded more! -
My introduction and question.
mike_s replied to Frank Nocera's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Hi Frank, My story is a bit odd. I rented a Rochelle for a couple of months and then bought a vintage refurbished Lachenal. A few months later I got discouraged sold the Lachenal and quit. Fast forward 18 months. I bought a used Rochelle to tide me over until I could find something easier to play. Thanks to my sometime teacher (Bruce McCaskey) I found a used Edgley. I’m now about 10 months in and enjoying it a lot. Like you I’m retired so have plenty of time to goof around on various music instruments (I pretty much suck on all of them). One thing I did which was invaluable was to attend the Noel Hill Irish Concertina School. Learned a ton of good stuff. He does three in the US-Eastern, Mid West, and West Coast-highly recommended. Whatever you decide, have a great time with it. Playing music is a great avocation, especially for us old f@#ts! Mike -
Where do you hold your instrument while playing? If it's close to you lap you could try holding it higher. If you bend your elbows it should come up almost level with your face.
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My introduction and question.
CursingLlama replied to Frank Nocera's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Hi Frank, I just started learning to play the anglo concertina myself about 2 months ago. From a self-taught perspective I found Gary Coover's books to be very helpful as it introduces a relatively easy tablature for the instrument. He has book's for all music types you suggest you'd like to learn. However, they are all for the anglo concertina (that I'm aware of). Good luck on your decisions. Greg -
No Susan. It's just a handle I've used for gaming for years. I use it for pretty much any account I make now a day.
- Yesterday
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I've been using ForScore for a long time. Uses PDFs, has annotation capability, organizing into sets, playlists or other categories is relatively easy. Not perfect, but pretty darned good, and works well with IOS devices. Works well with bluetooth foot pedals, if that's something you need. On thing you might want to consider: the scores on a mini are pretty small. I'm about to replace mine with a full size iPad. Your mileage may vary.
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I use Tunebook for ABC. Also, the iPad Mini 5 comes out imminently, and is significantly more powerful.
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Having carried around for years a folder containing all of my music scores, it's time to upgrade - I'm getting myself an iPad Mini 4. Which apps do folks use for organising their scores? My scores are PDF, but I also have ABC variants of most of them. I'd like to be able to organize in an app and to be able to easily pull out a score at a moments notice (eg in a session). Also, the ability to arrange scores in a set list would be nice too.
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Probably because it's not economically viable.
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Many thanks for several interesting avenues to pursue. To define my issue more precisely performing with a stage monitor isn’t a problem. My problem occurs in informal groups with no amplification. I have found it helpful to use the space around me to amplify but often can’t control that variable. I do find myself cupping my ears these days. (but not while playing) The earplug approach is one I can attempt. I have a pair of those for loud music environments. I will have to dig around for them and report back. Also the Amplug option seems to be close to what I was envisioning. I have a rosewood New Model but have been able to try several metal-ended Aeolas in one sitting recently. Generally their handling and reed quality were similar to the New Model but the usual differences of volume and brightness sets the new model off. For accompaniment it’s a better match for me. In a senor epiphany moment I just realized I have an accordion reeded instrument that is playable. I wonder if that would cut through the auditory fog?
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For some reason I cannot add anything to the end of my last post and I accidentally hit 'Submit Reply' before I had finished. This was the fiddle lesson video that I used to derive my tables: 'Golden Slippers' with the drones sounds OK on a concertina. Other tunes, I am still thinking about it. Of course, concertina players (and really good fiddlers) are not limited to just four notes to choose from as drones to play in three different key signatures, but sometimes less is more. BTW. The nicely formatted tables in my earlier post came via a cut and paste from a Google Docs document that I was using to make notes about fiddle techniques. I was really surprised that it came out exactly as I had laid it out in the Google Docs document. Don.
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Next Step from a Stagi to an advanced instrument
LateToTheGame replied to rainbowman's topic in General Concertina Discussion
It sounds like you will be very happy with a hybrid with accordion reeds. Since these are the ones with the most growl INMHO. So you are looking for one with the best action. And, depending on how ambitious you are you might just want to cross over to the button accordion. Initially it may seem like a strange move after you've worked hard on an instrument, but I know quite a few doublers, including the ever so versatile John Williams. If you are looking for a power machine the button accordion may be your answer. They are easier to find and are often less expensive. And currently they come in a range of sizes and tonal variations as well as keys. Just a thought. -
I have no idea if this would work for you. I have recently taken to wearing earplugs designed to cut out super loud noises in concert situations. The brand I found were called Eargasms, but there are many other brands. It seems to cut down the amplified sounds, but I can still hear myself and conversations. Some of the sessions I play in have begun to mike and occasionally I find myself sitting next to a particularly loud banjo, accordion or bohran. It may not be enough for you, but I recommend wearing them in any really loud situation like an amplified concert or working with power tools, so having a pair on hand might be good anyway.
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Please bear in mind that I have never knowingly touched a fiddle in my life, so what follows here maybe a complete load of cobblers elbow. I became interested in how fiddlers add drones and watched a few Youtube videos so I now know all that there is to know! Most fiddle tunes are in A, D or G (plus their relative minors and modes?) A fiddle is tuned as G3, D4, A4 and E5 (where C4 is middle C) The possible notes played in common fiddle tunes are: Open string 1 - G3 G#3 A3 B3 C4 C#4 Open string 2 - D4 E4 F4 F#4 G4 G#4 Open string 3 - A4 B4 C5 C#5 D5 Open string 4 - E5 F5 F#5 G5 G#5 A5 A fiddler plays a drone on an adjacent open string to the melody string being played so I came up with these tables of notes to play as a drone: When playing in G add: D4 for G3 A3 B3 C4 G3 or A4 for D4 E4 F#4 G4 D4 or E5 for A4 B4 C5 D5 A4 for E5 F#5 G5 A5 When playing in D add: D4 for G3 A3 B3 C#4 G3 or A4 for D4 E4 F#4 G4 D4 or E5 for A4 B4 C#5 D5 A4 for E5 F#5 G5 A5 When playing in A add: D4 for G#3 A3 B3 C#4 A4 for D4 E4 F#4 G#4 D4 or E5 for A4 B4 C#5 D5 A4 for E5 F#5 G#5 A5
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In praise of a good hard case
LateToTheGame replied to Halifax's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Ha! it never leaves my side unless it is under the careful watch of a friend. -
Yes, although you can play the melody above or below the drone of course and combine that with "rocking the bow" for a nice deconstructed chord effect. Interestingly, some fiddlers flatten the bridge and "cross-tune" to play triple stops.
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My introduction and question.
Frank Nocera replied to Frank Nocera's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Mike, I didn't know you could rent them! Thanks for that info. What make Anglo did you get? Frank -
a „high drone“ would be a fiddlish thing, wouldn’t it? i like that to
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30 key anglo guides and tutorials
Bruce McCaskey replied to fiddler2007's topic in General Concertina Discussion
I should mention that while it is an excellent resource, Bertram’s second tutor “American Fiddlestyles for the Anglo Concertina” is not intended as a beginner's first guide. It assumes the student knows the basics of the instrument and can read music. An absolute beginner would likely be lost, but someone who can already play a dozen or more tunes would be able to work with it. It is targeted at intermediate level players but I dare say many that consider themselves proficient would still find it beneficial. What I like best about it is that it really explores the fingering possibilities on the Anglo. Coming from an Irish Crossrow approach this book was eye-opening for me. Bertram's website has some issues as mentioned above, but this link will take you to the page to purchase this book: http://bertramlevy.com/concertina-tutor -
Because you can "drive the rhythm" with just the bellows you can do without oom pah or just pah or any of the above really. I like to do something similar to Mikefule's pedal points above. If you're moving up the scale, be a snail and leave a trail. hold or dwell on previous notes that are in harmony. From high to low, rock the bow. After bowing the melody note old time fiddlers will dip down ( sometimes up) to catch harmonies on the adjacent strings. Because I like playing in the lower register, especially for singing , I'll hold a high drone note (and move it around a bit) when coming over from the left to the right hand. Works great when playing duet because of the overlap ( you're playing a Hayden I think).
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I've been lurking on this thread (although do not pretend to understand most of the technical info), as I have always been interested in the possibilities of such an instrument- especially the "silent practice" function, and the ability to change the key one is playing in with the press of a button. I saw a respected player of traditional Newfoundland dance music playing a digital button accordion last summer (a Roland as I recall), and in all respects it seemed like a very successful and fully sorted instrument. I wondered why this technology hasn't made its way to concertinas?
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Happy to report Steve has emailed, as you say he has a few problems, so all is well. See you there
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My introduction and question.
mike_s replied to Frank Nocera's topic in General Concertina Discussion
I’m a rank beginner as well. I’m going to recommend a different approach. You can rent a Rochelle (or a Jack/Jackie) from The Button Box. That will give you some perspective. Personally I found the Rochelle to be a miserable starting point and only rented for a couple of months and then got a much easier to play Anglo. As with all instrument acquisitions buy the best you can afford, but only when you’re sure what it is you want to do........ that’s just this hack’s $.02. -
My rather off-hand question seems to be yielding some golden answers. Thanks to all. How about extending your thoughts to other accompaniment patterns besides oom-pah? Arpeggiation or 'strumming' patterns that work for non-dance music or for accompanying singers. I can work out a melody and some suitable chords but I struggle with what to do rhythmically for the accompaniment.
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That's the right way to think of it Dave. Although I'm just starting to add the accompaniment to my playing, I'm finding a brief sparse chord on the off beat with an extra puff and quick lift off from the buttons at the very end really add the bounce!
