sympathy

A personal perversion I'm afraid. Since I spend my working days behind a wall of synthesisers, samplers and computers I find sitting in the back yard after work playing concertina for an audience of birds and a very disinterested dog a more "real" musical experience. Playing old music on an old instrument both from my own part of the world is very centering for me and makes it possible to get back behind the electronic wall the next day. That's all.

Don't know what it is but some of you AngloMeisters probably will!

Just spotted this on Ebay. Bidding is in US dollars but seller is in Queensland. It may have been mentioned here before (only 4 days of bidding left).

Recordings or sessions/jams with other players, but as Jeff has said, hearing and sight reading the tune and then playing it without the dots can be a very effective way of learning. Sometimes I'll just have a tune looped on the computer or CD player or whatever while I perform some boring task like the washing, and eventually the tune just "soaks" in. Instrument Maker Craig Fischer calls it "the Osmosis Method"! If the tune is tricky to play I'll learn it bar by bar. Play bar one over and over until I have it, then bar two, then put them together and so on. Particularly effective for Northumbrian variations I find.

Danny Spooner instantly comes to mind. He's an Australian National Living Treasure and a real nice bloke. His accompaniments on concertina are gentle flowing melodic lines, what he calls "passing stuff", and are very effective and unobtrusive. Have a look at the man here: http://www.dannyspooner.com/ If you get the chance to see him live don't miss it!! I saw him once at the Port Fairy Folk Festival sing Shanties on the dock with his back to a raging sea during a thunderstorm!!! I'll never forget it.

have you tried the Wonder Hornpipe - probably quite well known, but definately "whacky". You get it in some Irish sessions, but I'd always thought it was from Newcastle way. A web search should turn up dots and MIDIs (try The Session). Chris J <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Oh, I know the one! Great tune & definately whacky! Thanks for the suggestion spindizzy, & you can tell your session mates that it IS a Northumbrian tune (sez sympathy!) & they should try to play it louder!!!

Thanks Mark, I'll check it out.

Thanks for the links mate, I'll check them all. And especially thanks for the above offer. And since you do offer, ( ) there was a tune my grandfather used to play that he called "Young Caffrey". I haven't heard it since I was about four so I can't even hum you a bar!! But what I'd REALLY like, is a typically whacky Northumbrian hornpipe that I've never heard before!! So if you think you have something totally out there, send it!!! Is Colin Ross still doing the business do you know? I used to get all my reeds from him until I could make my own (mainly due to reverse engineering dead ones of his! ).

I would strongly suggest that you pick an end and a leg and stick to it. I know of a number of anglo players that favour the left end/left leg in order to free their right (bowing) hand as some other posters have noted. While you're at an early stage of playing the instrument try to develop good habits, they'll improve your playing, accelerate your learning and save repair costs (the dearest of which is waiting for your instrument to come home from the repairer!). Good luck to you and congratulations on selecting a real instrument.

Rhomylly, auditions are a lottery. You can play the best set you've ever played in your life and still not score the gig 'cos they were really looking for a juggler!! The auditioners often don't really know what they want until they hear it. "Good enough to perform" isn't a thing you can measure out of context. Good enough to perform at your local pub or good enough to perform with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra? If playing makes you happy and 1 other person enjoys your playing you're "good enough to perform" and the more you play in public the easier it becomes and the more your playing improves. Go for it !!!!!

An old irish whistle player I used to jam with used to say, "play your hornpipes as if they where aires and your reels as if they were hornpipes" It was interesting how many extra notes could be heard when we did that ...........

Thanks for that. Thank goodness both my concertinas are wooden ended! I must say though, that I've not noticed any problem with my own instruments in velvet lined cases & it's a common enough lining for pipes cases.

I use an old smallpipes case with added partitions. Minimal padding, fairly rigid foam about 2cm thick under velvet lining. Holds 2 concertinas (baritone and treble), the usual assortment of tools and leaves enough room for 3 bacon sandwiches ................ ideal for me!!

Does anyone know of any Northumbrian tune databases, or websites that have Northumbrian music links? I have the usual collection of tune books; Charlton Memorial, Piper's 1 & 2, Cut and Dry Dolly etc. but I'd love to find some lesser played tunes to add to my collection.

Thanks for the information Stephen and if you happen to see Wooffy tell him that Ray Smith is alive and well and so is the Wheatstone!!

The Wheatstone ledger lists it in the April - June quarter of 1880, it is described as a "48 Baritone Steel Plain", the first of a batch of six. Geoff Wooff is an old friend of mine. He now lives in Co. Clare, outside Miltown Malbay, only half an hour's drive away from me.

I was given this beauty as a basket case by Geoff Wooff about 20 years ago when he still lived in Australia. Peter (Stormy) Hyde rebuilt it perfectly over a couple of years and made a new seven fold bellows. It's steel reeded and plays beautifull and I have gigged and recorded with it. The serial number is 19815 (putting it somewhere around 1873 I think) Any more info available?