Jump to content

Jim2010

Members
  • Posts

    183
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Jim2010

  1. On 8/21/2023 at 2:52 PM, robert stewart said:

    Is 1798 early for a concertina of any kind ?

     

    This paper seems to give hope to those who would like Goya's painting to depict some kind of early concertina=type instrument (possibly made by one of Edward Jay's ancestors, of conjured up by one of Ricky Jay's).

     

    https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/138/3_Supplement/1912/639760/Early-history-of-the-European-free-reed

  2. 1 hour ago, Peter Laban said:

    Can't help thinking there is a machine learning bot at work.

     

    I may well be getting it wrong but I have noticed similar type of posts, reviving old threads,  on other forums recently.

    Could you elaborate on this? Maybe it is obvious to others, but I don't know what the terms "bot" and "machine learning" actually refer to. I imagine "bot" refers to a computer/computer program designed to do something over and over until it is stopped or the electricity shuts off. "Machine learning" might mean a computer/computer program compiling information for subsequent use by the thing itself or some other thing for the benefit of business hucksters (or tyrants).

  3. 12 hours ago, Sandra A said:

    David Barnert I wish.  I live in the middle of nowhere and there isn't any place within a couple of hours to try one.  I'm thinking that as I learn I will move up with them until I can finally get one of the ultimate concertinas like you have mentioned.  It might be a dream but it never hurts to dream and dream big.

    I don't know exactly where Middle of Nowhere, GA is located, but Bob Tedrow is about 2 hours away from Atlanta on I-20. He is a great source of information and usually has a number of concertinas on hand (sometimes ones that he has made).

     

    Bob Tedrow, Homewood Music, 1712 28th Ave S, Homewood, AL 35209  (205) 879-4868

    https://hmi.homewood.net/

     

  4. 6 hours ago, RAc said:

    if you haven't done so yet, check out konzertinanetz.de, in particular the Treffen/Kurse section. In the meetings, you generally find a good mix of folks playing all kinds of concertinas as well as beginner's introduction courses. You will be able to test play numerous systems and ask the participants about their sources.

     

    It is impossible to say from a distance which system would  suit you best.

    Expanding on what RAc said, it is conceivable that an English, Hayden, or Crane concertina would suit you best. As a guitar player (who has very limited experience with playing concertinas), the three types of concertina I just mentioned share two general concepts with the ukulele: they have repeating patterns of note placement and each note/button (as string/fret position) sounds the same note regardless of whether you push or pull (strum up or down). While it will take time and practice to actually play and make music with them, you will be able to learn how/where to play chords on these instruments in a matter of minutes. They take shapes that you can move around similar to ukulele chord shapes that can be moved around.

  5. Really wonderful, Didie. You have always impressed me as someone who is diligently working to perfect his craft. It really shows in this performance. If I remember correctly, when you first got the extended bellows, you said they didn't help as much as you had hoped for, but it seems you have learned to get the most out of them. Thank you for sharing this recording.

  6. On 3/27/2023 at 3:42 PM, soloduet said:

    Here is a first recording with a new instrument designed and made by Harry Geuns in Belgium. It's an hybridation between the reeds system of a bandoneon and the Wicki concertina keyboard, so I called it a bandotin. This prototype has 89 buttons (46 on the right and 43 on the left) which is maybe a little too much but for this first experience I wanted to have the same range than a traditional Argentinean bandoneon, almost fully chromatic, and some double notes for the most distant altered notes (which is a condition to make this system work at his best). I hope that some other musicians will be interested to play this kind of instruments:

    https://youtu.be/7Lqd_ZqzSGU

     

    Didie, Congratulations! You keep advancing in the direction of more and more beautiful sound.

  7. 15 hours ago, adrian brown said:

    I felt an urge to have another stab at this, this time playing it on my Dipper baritone. It's very nice to revisit pieces like this after a long gap and comforting to feel how after a short acclimatisation, your fingers seem to move instinctively over familiar button patterns, hopefully giving more time to think about your interpretation. The harmony in this piece is not quite as close as in some of the earlier stuff I've recorded with the baritone and I think it really brings out the "architecture" (for want of a better word) of this instrument.

    Something for a cold, wet and rainy January weekend?

     

    Cheers

     

    Adrian

     

     

     

    Beautiful, beautiful. And I have played it on the lute (and guitar).

    • Like 1
  8. If I am staying in a hotel, I usually have a few options. I can practice early in the morning in the "exercise" room or laundry room (rarely anyone there but sometimes it isn't easy to turn off the TV). Sometimes there is access to a meeting room or restaurant/bar that isn't used during the day. I sometimes ask a staff member if there is somewhere I can practice "so I won't disturb anyone."

    If weather permits, I find a park or other outside seating area. During inclement weather, I find an enclosed parking lot or a little trafficked section of a public building (such as a bus/train station, convention center, university building).*

    Even when people are around, they are usually more curious and interested than annoyed.

    Be polite and leave immediately without debate (apologizing when appropriate) if asked to move.

     

    * For example, In Charlottesville I have practiced in the Paramount Theater, The Sprint Pavilion, and the bus station.

     

     

  9. I also recommend Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly.

    The current ISBN numbers are:

    SBN-13: 978-0061339202
    ISBN-10: 9780061876721
     
    An internet search for "Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihaly" results in a number of lectures and articles that may be of interest.
     
     
  10. Consistent with what Randy is talking about is this website by music psychologist/violinist Noa Kageyama who teaches at Julliard. Essentially, he explains the difference in practice methods between top performers (in music, sports, etc.) and the rest of us. It offers best practice practices. I have read and later reread the free sections and it has helped me practice much more efficiently—learning more in less time—and enjoying it more.

     

    https://bulletproofmusician.com/

  11. The advice that is often given when people ask "What kind or concertina should I get?" (English, Anglo, or Duet) is listen to concertina recordings/performances, decide what inspires you the most, and get the type of concertina used in the performance. In your case, it seems like you are essentially looking for a smaller lighter instrument to substitute for your accordion. If I am correct about that, duet concertinas seem like the logical starting point. But which type, Hayden, Crane, Maccann)? There is a website that presents recordings of all three types of duets:

     

    http://www.concertinas.org.uk/DuetAudio.htm

    Youtube is another good place to hear various types of concertinas.

     

    After listening to some of the recordings, you might be in a better position to decide which or IF any of them sound the way you would hope them to sound if you went to the trouble of finding one and learning how to play it. Just finding an instrument that has the notes you need is just one aspect of it. Do concertinas (any type) have the sound you are looking for?

  12.  

    12 hours ago, rockie12us said:

    I have looked at Duet Concertinas like the Hayden.  Is this a good option?

     

    Something that might be of additional interest to you is that the Concertina Connection offers the option of Hayden Duets with mirrored left hands, with accordionists in mind.

  13. 10 hours ago, rockie12us said:

    I have looked at Duet Concertinas like the Hayden.  Is this a good option?

     

    Or are there lighter piano accordions I can look into?

     

    If your preference would be to stick with accordion if you can find one light enough, accordionists.info is a great site for information about all things accordion. Very friendly and helpful people.

     

    Smythes Accordion Center and Liberty Bellows sell accordions of all sizes and sometimes have Hayden duets in stock.

    Smythes currently have a Concertina Connection (concertinaconnection.com) Troubador Hayden duet in stock. Liberty Bellows currently has a Concertina Connection (concertinaconnection.com) Elise Hayden duet in stock.

     

    http://www.smythesaccordioncenter.com/

     

    https://www.libertybellows.com/

     

     


     

  14. 1 hour ago, Anglo-Irishman said:

    Why surprised? Renaissance lute music was written in tablature!

    Staff notation only gives you the pitch of the notes; finding them on your instrument entails knowing what pitches are where (which button and bellows direction on a concertina, which string and fret on a lute). Staff notation can be read directly only on the keyboard - or on the English concertina (whereby tenor, treble and bass versions will associate a given dot on the stave with a different button on the instrument.) And, well, if you're a really good singer, you can also sight read from staff.

    Cheers,

    John

    Along the lines of what John wrote, I want to add something about notation from personal experience. I was a classical guitar player (staff notation) prior to playing Renaissance lute (tablature). Staff notation tells you the pitch of the notes and also the duration of all the notes (you are left to figure out which strings and frets will enable you to play it). Renaissance lute tablature tells you the strings and frets to play the various notes, but it only tells you the duration of some of the notes. When it comes to the duration of the other notes, you are left to figure that out for yourself, based on your knowledge of harmony/counterpoint.

×
×
  • Create New...