KevinBradfield

Even though I am learning how to play a Hayden duet, I have learned a lot from your videos! Thanks for posting.

Whelp, I've had my Elise duet concertina for a few months now, and last week played it with a group of other musicians for the first time! Realized that playing in a group is a heck of a lot different then playing by myself! I have been getting by without chords much, but playing with them really showed that a lot of times, chords would be a great way for my instrument to find a niche in a group setting. So since then, I have been trying to get chords worked into the music I am playing, which is a challenge in itself also! It seems like when I play a chord, lets say a C chord, that if I use all 3 notes, it is a bit overpowering, and uses soo much of my air! I have tried cheating, and using just the root and the 5th, leaving out the third ( so on a C chord, playing the C and the G note only). I find that it sounds good, and I am not overpowering my melody. Is this something that should be avoided, for reason I am not seeing?

Sounds like fun! I did go and get it. How do you make chords or bass to fit. The melody line is music I can read and convert to Anglo keys using numbers. Do you use a 20 or 30 button anglo? Thanks Ron I am making way way with a hayder duet ( Elise), can't help ya on the anglo question!

Do a search for Paul Hardys basic tunebook. It has a lot of really good tunes in it, and it is free. He also has a number of other books. As a brand new beginner, I am enjoying his basic book very much, as it has a lot of popular songs i it, so it is nice to learn stuff right off the bat that most people will recognize.

Don, thanks for this resource! I have enrolled in the course, but I see no links for a forum or google hangout, is this something they let you know about when the course starts?

Don, do you know of a resource that I can learn about the terms you are using? semitone, minor second? I have a basic understanding of music theory, but as I hang out on here, I see that I have a LOT to learn about musical theory, and even composition for that matter. Seems like most of the concertina players I read about do a lot of "educated guessing" when it comes to transcribing music to suit their needs. Even as a beginner, I come across a tune I hear and I start trying to figure out how to make it work on my concertina. I would imagine a more solid base understanding of music would help a lot in this. Thanks for the pointers, this sure is a fun undertaking! oh, and by the way, I got to looking at the score of music I was trying to play, and there wasn't even an F# in the score! lol.

Ugh. So upon closer inspection I have found that: 1. I think I need to get to the eye doctor, and 2 It is indeed F#. Thank you Don!

So I have had my Elise for a couple weeks now, and am really enjoying it! One giant problem I have come across is there is tons of music that has e# in it, and I have no e#. Should I simply play an E? Is there a different note I should substitute?

Whelp, I got my Elise in the mail last week, and have been able to devote about a half hour a day to learning it. It sure is fun! I had no idea my left hand was that inept, that will take a lot of work, but it is coming along. The Elise tutor has me operating my bellows in and out every 2 measures of 4/4 time music. Is this critical? I find myself going 2 and sometimes 3 bars, and every now and then I end up switching direction mid-measure of music. Is it critical to maintain that 2 measure interval? Would anyone care to share their thoughts on the matter?

As a complete newcomer, what were you doing to accompany them with your concertina?

Yes, and he was actually what tipped me over to trying out a Hayden rather than an english!

David, I already have you on my sound cloud favorites, and search you here, thanks for putting that information in your profile! I will certainly take you up on that offer of answering questions! I try to use search first, I imagine a lot of my questions have been asked before.

Thanks for the names and the links, that was what I was looking for. I've been searching "hayden", "elise", etc. what was provided here fleshes that out. Thanks!

Is there a way to search and see what users are playing a duet concertina, aside from looking through all the members profiles? Would be nice to be able to search posts from known hayden duet players! Any search tips for finding songs done on hayden duets? Thanks, Kevin

It is always fun to get your paws on potential new toys. It was really nice as a newcomer, to be able to sit down and talk with someone about different aspects of the instruments, and be able to play around with them a bit. I really enjoyed being able to sit down with the two of you. At the end of it all, I contacted button box today and have an Elise en route to give this a go. After reading and reading, AND reading some more, talking with Ken, and being able to check them out, I am going to give the Haydens a go and see what happens. In the meantime, I am working on learning about additional music theory, it is a big step from playing basic notes to having to learn about chords, fifths, thirds, etc. It is always fun to learn new things, and am enjoying it so far. Thanks again everyone for your input and thoughts! Kevin