Jeff Stallard

Whoops...you're right. I just updated my profile. Actually, I'm not too far from you Greg; I'm in Columbus, Ohio. How long have you been playing an English?

The past week I've been working on learning chords, and I'm very pleased with how easy the English system makes them. The only tricky one I've found so far is Bm. I'm not starting to workon chords in multiple octaves, and chord inversions. The inversions are a little tough right now I must admit, because I'm still trying to map out, in my brain, what the notes are, but once I know what I want, it's very easy to play it. Now I just need to find people to play with.

You mentioned wanting to play classical music. For that, I recommend getting an english concertina. It's chromatic (can play in any key) and very versatile, and can play any classical piece you throw at it. An anglo concertina won't give you that freedom. The learning curve on an english is probably steeper than on an anglo however. Good luck deciding.

http://www.tradfrance.com/

I've found lots of information on it, but can't find a price. I understand that any number is subject to change, but I'm trying to figure out if it's even a possibility for me. How much was NESI 2004?

Nice link, thanks. I have a page bookmarked at home with lots of french country dance tunes. I'll post it when I get home.

Two words: neck and strap.

Beats me. That's just the way I see things. What's your way?

That's interesting. What about NESI made you realize that? Also, are you saying that Irish Trad. is sort of an all-or-nothing type of music? That's exactly the way I view it. With me, music is a good book: a solitary activity that I can enjoy as I see fit, and though I may enjoy sharing parts of it with others, neither its quality nor its utility are defined by the sharing. With others, music is a conversation: a vital tool used to bring people together through common topics, but something that has no function by itself. Hmm...maybe I should start a poll...

While I'm still clueless when it comes to chords, I certainly do agree that it does get easier. I was able to get through 'Claire de Lune' (the easy first part anyway) and Massenet's 'Meditation' last night. It was a little ugly, but I've never been able to get through them before; I always got frustrated and quit. It feels pretty good. Oh, and for the record, it was a version of 'Meditation' that was shifted an octave lower than the "real" version, so that makes it a little easier.

I agree that reels played slowly can sound confusing. I think it's because the phrases tend to be longer than in other types of songs (just guessing here). Listen to it (MIDI files are all over the Web) at regular speed and drill that feeling into your head. One thing that helps me a lot is to think of each section as a series of questions and answers. For instance, the first two measures could be considered the question, and the last two the answer. Listen to, and learn, the question as an entire sentence rather than a string of individual letters (notes). It's kind of like not seeing the forest for the trees.

Man that sucks, but is this news to anyone? I certainly HOPE no one is out there thinking their soft case will protect against a fall like that. Now me, I spent the last 7 years honing my mind and body so that, should I fall, I'll be able to deftly throw my body between the ground and the concertina, so hey, I'm not worried.

If you could design a musical group (and I use 'group' loosely) to be involved with, what would it be? I think mine would be a quartet with my on the concertina, a cello perhaps, a violin, and then maybe a harp or a mandolin (bowlback) to add another dimension. We'd play English and French dance tunes, misc. chamber music, Renaissance and Medieval songs, and maybe even some O'Carolan. We'd play for our own enjoyment mostly, but also for dances and similar gatherings. Yep, that would be my ideal situation. What would yours be?

Good to know, thanks. Luckily, it also fits perfectly horizontally.

Kindly eschew your pedantry, for it besmirches my self awe.

I hear you brother! My first instrument was a violin, and I eventually gave it up precisely because of the strict accuracy required.

Thanks a lot guys. That helps. Some of that stuff I kind of assumed, but it's always better to hear it from more experienced practicioners rather than act based on assumptions.

Having only play for six days now, I haven't gotten into complicated music, but there have been a few times where I've had to bring in my right finger to hit a note that my middle finger would ordinarily be responsible for. That works fine for me, but I have trouble getting my fingers back into the standard position, so the next note or two on that side have a much higher tendency to be wrong. Given what you said about finger position as opposed to hand position, maybe the real problem is that I'm moving my hand too much. I'll pay attention to my hand movement next time. Oh, and for the record, I am able to use my ring finger to hit F# and C# without messing the rest of my hand up.

Huh? Does that mean ring on the D, middle on the A, and index on the E? Yeah, I guess that makes sense, but you have to see it coming well in advance to shift your hand like that.

Edit: Sorry, should have stated that I'm talking about an English concertina. Let's say I have to play an ascending D, A, then E. According to English style doctrine, I use my index finger for all three, but obviously that isn't going to work at any kind of speed. I can move my middle finger up to the A, but then it's tough getting the index finger back up to E. How would you play that run? Would you also bring the ring finger up and play each note with a separate finger?

Here's a picture of the setup.

You might try letting the air out of the bellows first.

I'll take a picture of it tonight and post it. I got it at Target, and I live in Ohio. I like the "multiple instruments in one case" idea. I'll have to look into that if I ever get a second concertina. I'm with you on this one. I don't like lunchboxes used as lunchboxes. If I'm going to be carrying food around, I get stuff that will fit in a coat pocket. However, using a lunchbox as something else doesn't bother me one bit.

Well I got the strap buttons mounted, and they're working perfectly. The strap frees my hands but doesn't stifle any body movement. I can't imagine why someone would NOT use one, but maybe it's not my place to understand, only to play as I see fit.

So what's more important, the music or the musical tradition? I feel no connection with those who came before me, nor do I have a sense of obligation to them. Maybe that's because folk music wasn't present at all in my family; it's something I chose as an adult. I don't know...I'm just guessing.