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Vivienne Dunstan

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    Dundee, Scotland

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  1. Wow, so many helpful replies. Thank you all! And very encouraging too. Much appreciated. I'm starting to associate the sound of the notes with individual buttons, so I think I will increasingly work on reading the music as well, to try to associate the notes visually as well as by sound. I have also started to play some tunes by ear, where I don't have any sheet music or tablature to hand. For example some of the traditional Common Riding songs from my home town Hawick in southern Scotland. It's often rather chaotic, as I miss the right buttons, but more often than not I am hitting the right ones, and the right direction. I'm going to view this as a slow process. First step feel comfortable with the instrument and the push/pull action (pretty much done). Next step learn the sounds of the notes (underway), and after that the sheet music versions, while continuing to work on learning tunes by tablature. And try playing other tunes totally by ear. Can I also say thanks very much @gcoover as another fan of your books. I'm particularly enjoying the pirates one, but also very much appreciate the harmonic style one, as an accordionist who wants to play more than just one melody note at a time. I also have the Irish tunes one, though that's a little bit more advanced than I am at the moment. Thanks all! Great forum
  2. Hi folks, New member here. I’ve played the piano accordion for over 40 years, since age 4, but recently bought a concertina to learn. My Yorkshire granddad (son of an Irish Mum) played the concertina, and I thought I’d like to give it a go. I have a 30 button Anglo C/G Rochelle. Very pleased with it for fit, feel and sound. I bought Sherburn and Mallinson’s guide for absolute beginners, and have been finding that gets me up and started quite quickly. I also really appreciate the historical notes in there about each tune. I’m now very comfortable playing the middle rows, but still learning to play the outer ones. And the push/pull action with different notes is quite a mind challenge for an accordionist! I also have some of Gary Coover’s books, the harmonic style, and pirates, and I’ve just ordered the sailor songs book. I really like these, though the button numbering is a little different, and thus the tablature, so it’s a bit of a mental switch needed between the two. I suppose what I mainly wanted to ask especially former accordion players or other people who could read music before learning the concertina is do you learn which notes on the sheet music relate to the buttons, and if so how long does it take? At the moment I’m happily following the tablature, but would want to learn the notes better. I guess it’s probably a matter of time and practice. I’m really enjoying playing my new concertina. It’s a much more compact instrument than my 72-bass piano accordion, so I can get it out and be playing very quickly. It’s also good for my MS-like illness: less of a physical challenge when I’m weaker. Though quite a mental work out with the push/pull action. But remarkably satisfying. Thanks all.
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