Kathryn Wheeler

Thank you, glad you liked it

Thankyou! I’d love to see dancing to it - wouldnt that be nice! I find the instrument does so very easily want to dance along. The 20b is a wonderful thing and there’s plenty more to do with it, I feel. It does help of course that I’m coming up with tunes that it wants to play and I’m playing solo!

Yes I was reminded strongly of organ music when I started to play slow chordal stuff! I used to play a reed organ as a tiny kid

Here's my first attempt to explain, on camera, some background to a tune "Sprig" refers to the fact that this tune grew out of another one of my pieces - Hazel - whilst I was noodling about on the instrument (as you do!)

I look forward to trying one sometime

I know what you mean! It’s extremely useful and it really makes you think about what you like to do with an instrument. I suppose another issue is whether you play other instruments (in my case I could say “fine, I will keep concertina for my own tunes solo and for those tunes in bands that it suits and use my other instruments for jamming in a session” But then I think how portable one concertina could be for ad hoc jamming and sessions (I don’t think lugging several around would be any better than what I do now!) and how cool it would be to have one that I could do anything on r

These are great answers and very useful!

What got me started? Someone I know saw a Scholer Bb/Eb anglo in a charity shop and gave it me (because I play piano accordion I think!) The way the notes are laid out intrigued me - I began to fiddle around seeing what it wanted to play! And new tunes just fell out of that process of investigation. Frustrated by the feel of the instrument I got a lachenal 20 and am obsessed with it, still playing with the myriad possibilities it offers. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCyfaF1wA2EZagdS7E8i3ixw

If you are interested in seeing what I’ve been doing with a 20, solo, here’s my channel: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCyfaF1wA2EZagdS7E8i3ixw (I’ve arranged the different types of music I get up to in playlists so if you’re only interested in anglo you can avoid all the medieval or band stuff )

Hi Sunny, I very much focus on the 20button and have been coming up with tunes for it as well as seeing how to best arrange preexisting tunes for the instrument. I have been playing solo (aided by the last year meaning I couldn’t go to sessions or band practices or gigs - I literally took up the instrument last year, but (like you) am already someone very used to both sheet music, playing by ear and jamming. Now things are changing and I’ve got together with friends to jam - I have been able to improvise stuff that goes with their tunes if they play in keys that aren’t too di

I love studying all the different ways - which can also vary from person to person and genre! Always something to learn and try out And yes it’s great for keyboard knowledge and finding out more options

If the instrument does the arranging then you know it’s going to lie well under the fingers and sound idiomatic

Oh yes, I love exploring the options wherever they are - across or within rows - trying out alternatives for phrases - to find out what suits the mood of the piece, right then. Or then there is repetition, choosing an alternative to add interest eg a more legato fingering vs one that leans into bellows changes. Or choosing very different harmonies for a section, which become available when you choose an alternative I don’t really think if it as either playing along or across rows - rather more what options are available to play with, and you start to build up an arsenal of these

I love the style and humour of your videos and presentation

It’s gone to a good home now!