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Why does the concertina sound carry farther than the sound from other instruments
Leonard replied to CZ in AZ's topic in General Concertina Discussion
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26 buttons oncertina?
alex_holden replied to Francisco Escobar Bay's topic in General Concertina Discussion
I wouldn't call it detuning; that is a way (as I understand it) to get a 'fuller' sound by simultaneously playing the note and a slightly out of tune version of the note. Most concertinas only have a single reed per note so they can't do that. Alternate temperaments are a complex subject that has filled entire text books, but basically they are different ways of tuning a scale that make some intervals sound sweeter at the expense of others. Wow, that's something like +/- 40 cents; I thought it was much less than that. -
A Bizarre Concertina Gig #2
RatFace replied to Jody Kruskal's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Congratulations - it's funny actually, because I supervised the two guys who implemented the physically based animation for characters in that game - technology we (at NaturalMotion) called "Euphoria". I guess that means if it's possible to shoot the character whilst he's playing the concertina, I'd have to take some responsibility for that. English vs Anglo - Yesterday
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Why does the concertina sound carry farther than the sound from other instruments
Jody Kruskal replied to CZ in AZ's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Hi Clair, Lovely to see you at Winfield last year. I've noticed this too, and even posted about it back a few years ago. Can't remember the upshot of that discussion. Can anyone find the old thread? -
That's good news, Steve. What do they cost? I learned on a Bastari (the precursor to Stagi) way way back when. It was fine as a starter, but after two years of steady play the bellows gave out and imploded. Perhaps this new tweak has improved the bellows segment angles and depth of the folds?
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26 buttons oncertina?
Francisco Escobar Bay replied to Francisco Escobar Bay's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Dear Lachenal74693 and Don Taylor: Thanks for the feedback. As for the sound files of AD's we are going to listen and see, I think that intuitive and ornate style is difficult to write, maybe it is more of feeling than of reasoning. With respect to the possible intentional detuning, it is necessary to see if it corresponds to what Don Taylor describes. I am accustomed to playing with accordion musette system that in each voice has three blades, for example in A at 430 Hz, another at 440 Hz and the third at 450 Hz, which when vibrating simultaneously give that characteristic sound of the French style. -
Good luck with these Steve ,I learnt to play the Anglo on a ten pound Hohner with large white buttons and moved to a better instrument when I was ready. An affordable concertina Anglo ,English and Duet systems at a reasonable price lends itself not only to beginners but to introducing the instrument to schools. Al
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Why does the concertina sound carry farther than the sound from other instruments
CZ in AZ posted a topic in General Concertina Discussion
Hey everyone - particularly those versed in the physics of sound. I play in a lot of music jams, some of which are outside in festival settings. On occasion, I have been told by those walking nearby, that all they can hear is the concertina until they get close enough that the fiddles, banjos, guitars, bass, etc fills in the sound. Inside the jam, the concertina is pretty well balanced with the other instruments and no complaints. I experienced this myself at a recent festival where I heard a cajun accordion playing, and as I weaved my way through the cars and RVs to get to it, I started to hear all the other instruments. I assume this is the same phenomenon. At some sessions, particularly if it is a large room, the concertina seems louder in comparison to the other instruments the farther you get from the musicians. Why is this? One of my friends suggested that the string instruments depend on a resonating chamber to make the sound. As a result, the sound is more diffuse at its origin and therefore attenuates more quickly. In contrast, a reed instrument has air pushed through a very small opening and thus the sound is actually more concentrated at its source and travels farther. Another person suggested that reeds produce fewer overtones. The clear central tone travels farther, but it is not necessarily louder to players that are right next to you. I don't know enough about the physics of sound to know why this happens, but I sure would like a simple explanation. Has anyone else experienced this and do you know why it happens? Looking forward to hearing about your ideas and experiences! Claire -
Could you post a pic of the action?
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Welcome Steve. Please, please, just one thread per topic. When you post, wait a minute for the site to come back with confirmation before hitting "submit" again. Thanks. Ken
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The Stagi Concertina range has now been greatly improved and they now offer great quality concertinas at wonderful prices. Here at Red Cow Music we have seen the Stagi range improve and find the quality very good. tuning is exceptional, action is fast and the build quits wonderful. we would highly recommend these concertinas to any one wishing to learn the concertina, for Anglo, English or duet. Steve Morrison ( Red Cow Music UK)
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I am a retailer of the Stagi range of concertinas. In the past 6 months there have been big changes at Stagi, and the standard has improved beyond belief. They now produce a good standard beginners to intermediate quality concertina, English, Anglo and duet. The action is quicker, the tuning is exceptional and the finish is wonderful. Not everyone can afford a high quality Antique concertina or a Norman or Morse, so the Stagi range is essential to encourage people to start to learn this wonderful instrument. I now that I will be lampooned and criticised for my opinion, but putting barriers in front of people who would love to try the concertina but can neither afford a top concertina or don’t want to part with a large sum early on Should be encouraged and not put down by the concertina purists. Steve Morrison Red Cow Music
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26 buttons oncertina?
Don Taylor replied to Francisco Escobar Bay's topic in General Concertina Discussion
It should be noted that Alan teaches the harmonic English style of playing and not the fast, ornamented melodic Irish style, so if Francisco wants to play Celtic music then Alan Day's tutorial might be misleading. However, the English style is chordal and might be useful if he wants to play in a more South American style. Francisco: another point to note is that you say your concertina (a very nice one, by the way) is tuned to A=440Hz but that a few notes are a little off tune. It might be that it has been tuned to something other than equal temperament, maybe 4th or 5th comma meantone. This is sometimes done to sweeten the sound of thirds on a concertina, something that might be very important to a player of South or Central American music. -
Lovely photos Peter and wonderfull to see Chris Droney still in great form.... would that we all will keep in fine condition into our 90's.
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26 buttons oncertina?
lachenal74693 replied to Francisco Escobar Bay's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Perhaps I should have said that AD's tutorial is in fact a collection of sound files. I think there are printable scores as well, but it's primarily a 'listen' experience rather than a 'look' experience. -
26 buttons oncertina?
Francisco Escobar Bay replied to Francisco Escobar Bay's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Mr. March Har, Donright and d. eliott, thank you for your comments. My concertina must have been brought by someone who traveled to Europe since it was not an instrument of common use in my country, the fact is that it was found among the belongings of a person who died, his son put it on sale but he told me that I had never seen her before and I did not know her existence, let me know what her story was ... The fact is that now it belongs to me, I am a piano system accordion performer and I have very little experience with diatonic accordions but I will try to learn. As far as the tuning is concerned, it's quite tight in the A of 440 Hz. Maybe I would need a bit of correction in some notes, but for now I'm going to leave it like that until I find out if there are any dedicated luthiers. -
26 buttons oncertina?
Francisco Escobar Bay replied to Francisco Escobar Bay's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Dear Lachenal74693. Thanks for the suggestions, I will look at the tutorial and the Australian site as well. As I mentioned before, in my city there are a few English and Irish pub-style sites, I do not know how authentic they are ... For the rest there are about eight bands of Celtic music but to my knowledge they do not include concertinas, they are handled with bagpipes, fiddle, bodhran, flutes and combine them with keyboards and guitar. I have to investigate more because I just got acquiring the concertima, I got closer to the world of the Celtic tradition, there is a lot to learn ... - Last week
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If you can find a Fender Excelsior they have a dedicated accordion input... Finding battery-powered amps loud enough to be heard in a full band can be tough because most of them are designed for busking. My suggestion would be to focus on those dedicated to acoustic guitar, as an electric amp will colour your tone in some way (although you might want that!) The Acus battery-powered ones are absolutely fantastic, even though they are a bit on the pricey side - the shop I work in does in-store gigs and I've had entire bands running through one of the 3-input ones before!
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pentaprism joined the community
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Great photos of such a brilliant player and his family. Out on his own before the concertina became what it is today. His powerful and unadorned style is a foundation of concertina playing at its best.
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I like to think get to see a fair few nice concertina players and very much so during the past few weeks. Normally I wouldn't bore you with that but today Chris Droney, in his 94th year, his daughter Ann Kirrane, son Francis and daughter in law Aine McGrath did a spot at lunchtime. And the unstoppable Chris Droney deserves a mention. Some snaps :
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tortoise shell Tortoise Shell Aeola Wheatstone 51 key Concertina
Gloucesterman replied to Gloucesterman's topic in Buy & Sell
I appreciate the comments. And now the instrument has a new happy and satisfied owner. -
56 keys Tenor Treble English Concertina
John Wild replied to mary-louise's topic in General Concertina Discussion
Kettle Bridge Clogs and Kettle Bridge Concertinas are based in Kent, South East England. The Clogs dance side have been going since 1984, but sadly this is the final year. Older members have been retiring and despite lots of effort, there is a lack of younger dancers coming in to carry on the tradition. "Kettle" is a medieval form of cattle, and the name refers to an actual bridge, now a footbridge only. -
56 keys Tenor Treble English Concertina
Little John replied to mary-louise's topic in General Concertina Discussion
I agree; and an open fifth (or rather a succession of open fifths) held with one finger allows you to play a melody above it; but perhaps it's best to learn to walk before trying to run! LJ
