Steve Wilson
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Posts posted by Steve Wilson
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Nice you're getting a few gigs to showcase the concer, our wonderful instrument deserves as much exposure as it can get.
I wonder if you might post some more of your jazzy stuff on youtube or soundcloud sometime?
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Hello Jack,
Ho, I'm flattered. I just gave a workshop at our National Folk Festival at Easter here in Oz, you should have been there! Can't help you much with contacts in the US. Is Jeff Warner close? , he's the only one I can think of ( I don't know Jeff but nothing ventured....).
The advice has been good, but I cannot really seem to translate from the words to the execution. What I would like to do is something more than the three-chord trick.
Here's some more words to translate, sorry. The three chord thing is a great starting point, I use it a lot, with the chords built using various inversions. To achieve rhythm a lot of my playing is simply part of a chord ( 1 or 2 notes) held while the other note/s are played on the off beat. And also whole or part chords just played as a beat (on beat). A lot of direction change with bellows is used and also bellows shake too (is that allowed?). Of course it would be a bit boring to just do this for a whole song so I usually try to work in some fancy bits in between, or vocal fancy bits. Have a look at my "Wallaby Stew" or others here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO39EOc_UVf728cjv8zl-9Q/videos
Good luck with your quest for help in the US.
Cheers Steve.
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Nice, very baroque. Good to hear a tune from you Wolf, after a little while.
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Very nice, I did enjoy your accompaniment of this song Stuart although I don't know the song and wasn't that taken by it. But you're accompaniment is quite light compared to some of your other offerings and I found that pleasant to my ear. Also listened to Da Stockit Light, very nice, enjoyed.
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I like the gender balance, I'm talking of the players, not the concers. Although some of those concertinas have good balance too. And the devil, well he tips it toward the blokes doesn't he....
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Oh no! This thread almost passed me by. Did notice it at the beginning of the month but then forgot, busy times. And it's exactly what I'm most enthusiastic about, doing stuff, particularly songs, that aren't normally done with the concer.
I've enjoyed all the offerings here, especially the sung versions, thanks all. Stefan, when's the CD coming out mate?
I'm still very busy with work and preparing for the National Folk Festival at Easter here in Oz so not sure if can get a contribution up before then. We'll see. Agree it's a great enduring song, perhaps because of it's calypso beat and exoctic lyrics.
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Very nice Randy, I do enjoy your playing. You know I bought my very first (usable) concertina from Boris when passing through NY in 1974. Saw an ad in the Times that changed my life. I think he was getting these concers from Italy. That one is long gone from my possession but served me well for a while.
Cheers Steve
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Hello Mart,
I was wondering what that hornpipe was.
That was a little joke of course, I'm sure you realised. Just my not very funny sense of humour. But I'm so glad you responded as you did.
Hi Steve - hope things are their usual laid-back self over there. The hornpipe is "The Wonder Hornpipe" hence Wonder/whoopee.
you can find it here - https://thesession.org/tunes/337
Now I have the notation and will endeavour to learn it in the event our paths should ever cross. And yes things are so laid back down here we can't even figure out who's running the country, if anyone is. Who cares anyway.
Cheers Steve.
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I was wondering what that hornpipe was. Nice, a clever little medley, well played.
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Wish I could go. Maybe one day. Have fun.
Cheers.
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Is Tony fit for the job ? He looked exhausted when you put him back in the box.
Tony is definately not fit for the job. I may have to make a new puppet soon, there's rumblings within his own party about dumping him as PM.
Steve, Very well done! It sounds like you have your Parnassus well played in. Did you carve the marionette? Jim
Hi Jim. Yes I play the parnassus a lot, some hours each day or at least most days.
The body and limbs of the puppet were done with a router and a coarse sanding disk on my electric drill and set up in a vice. The head is paper mache and was quite involved. First I made a play dough version from which I made a plaster cast mould then finally the paper mache was cast in that. It's on a spring so it wobbles a bit.
Perhaps sometime for a non political version I'll make a sailor or a swagman.
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G'day Brandon, yeah I originally hollowed out underneath to gain better resonance, the deck is actually quite thin, about 3mm. Then I realised I could store everything under there. It takes a little time to set up and pull down but it travels very well.
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After being inspired by Jody and Alex I have knocked up a marionette of our Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott who is a fitness fanatic and widely lampooned for wearing "budgie smugglers", a brief swimsuit, when he goes surfing. As a politician he certainly lacks integrity (surprised?) so I have no misgivings about lampooning him. Here he is.
And there's a video too, of him and his mate Rupert Murdoc, busking all in a good cause. Tony is dancing to Rupert's tune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elAj35NgY9o
To allow more freedom I went for a free standing set-up rather than having the string tied to my leg. So he's operated by a foot peddle which doesn't give great control over his movements. But that doesn't matter. Kids and adults were fascinated and delighted with him and he certainly greatly increased the fund raising. Concertina is so suited to this folk art form. The sound isn't great and I fudged a bit in the first bit by over dubbing what was originally a different tune. And my first time cameraman came up with some interesting angles!
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PM sent
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Very nice Peter, thanks for posting. I've enjoyed all of the little I've heard of your playing since first seeing this.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL2t9z9rzQQ Is this a different concertina you're playing this time?
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Very nice. Happy New Year to you and all. May it be a good one.
It's the morning after here now and after a quiet night for me (too old to get too silly) the new day and year is brilliant and sunny. The forecast is for 30 degrees celsius.
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Truly inspiring, a master. Thanks for posting. I've bookmarked them for my collection.
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Hello Sharon,
Welcome, welcome, welcome. I do hope you enjoy your journey with the english concertina. It is a great little instrument for all sorts of music styles.
A couple of years ago I was talking to a musical friend, a very accomplished musician, and regarding myself as a plodder I said I'll never be a musician like you. I said you've got it in your bones whereas I have to really work at it. He said no,no I work at it, musicians like me work at it. I still don't agree, some people just have what it takes but I thought OK I'm gonna work at it and we'll see what happens.
That was maybe two years ago and I've been working, some hours(2 -3) each (most) days. It does make a difference. Not everyone is or can be as motivated. Whatever, as long as it's enjoyable. But what what you get out will be proportional to what you put in.
Seasons greetings to you and to all.
Cheers Steve
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Bravo, good stuff. On Soundcloud too, no bother with visuals.
Again really enjoyed this.
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Hi Steve,
where are you in Australia? I lived there in the 1990's in Pambula Beach near Merimbula - great spot!
Well,well. Did you ever get out to the Robbie Burns, at Wyndham? That's where I am, at Wyndham not the pub (well sometimes). Just up the road from Pambula Beach. Truly great spot, this area, close enough to heaven for me.
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Welcome Mart (oops, sounds like a retail chain, sorry),
Anyway, welcome to C-net. Really enjoyed this peice, lovely take, lovely touch. Didn't pick up the "bits that need sorting" on first listen.
Just a critique about the video. I think a video is for watching as well as listening, yours didn't really grab me. Couldn't see your face to start with. Who is this mystery guy? I guess it's sort of an arty scene but I think your rendition could hold its own just as audio, on soundcloud for example, without the video.
But that's just my opinion. Please post more, whether video or audio.
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I'm very proud to present my brand new concertina made by Wim Wakker, The Parnassus. It's been with me a couple of months now but I've refrained from posting any audio till now. It won't really be broken in for perhaps another twelve months and also the recordings don't sound as good as it is live. I've only recorded it with my H2zoom digital recorder, not my usual microvox. I'll never stick mics on this concer.
It plays beautifully, fast and smooth, it's loud and with a pure sort of tone. It's volume is is making me more aware of dynamics but still my accompaniment in these videos is a little loud. Still working on the light touch. Of course it's really good for tunes, one time when playing with other instruments my wife said it cut through with it's clear tone. But I don't play tunes much, it's songs for me.
These two are a couple you might not normally hear with concertina, fun to play and fitting to debut my Parnassus. Hopefully Wim will enjoy. In both I use the D# or G# as an alternative to the Eb or Ab. I did consider a meantone tuning but decided to go with equal temperament because of some of the songs I do.
My Canary has Circles Under His Eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWBoWc_HQkk&list=UUO39EOc_UVf728cjv8zl-9Q
Hernando's Hideaway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVvofBrCMew&list=UUO39EOc_UVf728cjv8zl-9Q
So is this the finest english concertina on the planet? Well one of six to date. Time will determine it's standing. I think it's wonderful, a very fine instrument. I'm interested to hear all critical comment. Considered critique is difficult of course without hands on but nevertheless don't hold back. About the instrument or the playing. Please try to refrain from commenting upon the countenance of the player.
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Here's my brand new Parnassus english concertina made by Wim Wakker. It's a dream to play, fast loud and with a pure sounding tone. I'm extreamly happy with it.
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Steve, in what way would the English be easier?
Perhaps I'm not really qualified to answer that since I don't play the duet. However on the duet if you want to play the melody on one side and some sort of chord or bass accompaniment on the other I think it would be a bit more involved than playing a simple melody line or a simple chord accompaniment on the english. Of course you can do just the same on the duet, simple melody line or chords, without putting the two together. So in that respect I guess one could say the duet shouldn't any more difficult than the english. Trumped myself.
But you'll still have to decide the kind of accompaniment you'd like for your songs. Then learn how to do it!
Engish Workshops/instruction
in Teaching and Learning
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Ho! Nothing ventured....