Kathryn Wheeler
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Posts posted by Kathryn Wheeler
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The thing I miss most is jamming with/accompanying others and technology doesn’t really make that very possible. Latency issues and mostly because of that not really being there in the moment feeling. I haven’t done any zoom sessions because people play their party pieces “in series” and there is none of that involvement and participation musically that I so miss. That said I like to watch bits of the videos after and the chat can be good during!
I’m not very good at sitting and listening to things for long periods passively but I have found it nice to be able to dip in to performances as and when I fancy it, rather than one long sitting. So watching videos made after a live stream is good!
I also like festivals online because you can still get on with stuff during your day but also jump in and watch a bit with a cup of tea and then catch up with other bits during the following week.
So the increase in this type of broadcasting has been great
Festivals in a field can be too much and overwhelming and I have often wished I could press pause!
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On 2/24/2021 at 1:55 PM, Jim Besser said:
Your point about handhelds picking up background noise is great! [edit: sorry my quote didn’t work!] I was wondering if that was the case, based on my own experiences -
Gosh yes, I’d agree with the above though I think it’s always nice to try and contact the person who wrote it - if nothing else it’s nice to know
It’s a lovely feeling when that happens and always interesting to hear!
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Super interesting thread!
I came from years of playing electronic organ and keyboards/synths, rather than piano and found the right hand side of course very familiar because I’m used to no touch sensitivity on the keys so having to express in other ways. I was also used to the sound because of playing a reed organ as a wee thing
And because I was used to playing chords in the left hand the concept of chord buttons was not alien (some keyboards even have those!) I was very used to already doing a lot of chords/harmony in the right hand.
The arrangement of the buttons was the thing I had to get used to of course (though familiar with circle of fifths) but all the chord types were super familiar from electronic organ chord notation. And yes the bellows but somehow that wasn’t a big deal when you realise it’s about phrasing and shaping (maybe violin bowing helped there!)
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I play both. PA first
It’s, so far, made me think more about my piano accordion bellows use. Specifically using bellows changes more intentionally and interestingly.
Im also more interested in combining chords (and basses) on the left hand in more interesting ways. End finding new textures. I realised I was very right hand driven and playing lots of chords in the r hand and mostly just the basses!
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Hi Geoff
haven’t posted any yet but I have two tunes from the last two days I think
so so far it’s being useful even tho I haven’t signed up!
Which perhaps I should do
Edit: well..I’ve signed up and awaiting verification!
suppose I out to actually record and film them 😛
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I am a big sucker for beautiful playing of seemingly simpler, slower things with gorgeous expression
I came across you playing as part of Dapper’s Delight and it is a delight to follow your work
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Hi Zack - Thankyou, glad you think the latest video sounds better!
That sounds a clever way of being able to pick up a lot of concertinas and just play although the idea of wires down each sleeve (rather like what 5year olds have to keep mittens from getting lost) does seem a faff!
Edit: actually I’m not sure that’s right the cable goes down - maybe, like gauntlets, you just slip them on
I’m surprised there isn’t a lot of button noise that close
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Thankyou! Yes if that lift is useful to anyone else, great!
I’d love to hear what others come up with (obviously I’d be most interested in ones that just use the 20buttons).
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Hi Geoff,
Yes I find myself pretty much playing tunes I come up with on the Anglo most of the time. It’s my way of exploring the instrument that seems to work for me so far! I’ve started sharing them on this forum (just put one in the video section earlier today, in fact).
Though coming up with something new in two days is fine, working it up to a polished arrangement is another thing though 😛 It sounds like good fun though
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3 hours ago, Jim Besser said:
Very nice - great playing, great tune and the sound quality is very good.
Thankyou Jim, that means a lot!
I used a little portable recording device as well as videoing it on my phone and replaced the sound with that. I still hadn’t got quite the optimal distance as I noticed it was so close to clipping in one section when I viewed the waveforms on screen - but it’s a definite improvement over the phone audio! So fine for any time I don’t fancy wheeling mics out.
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5 hours ago, TapTheForwardAssist said:
Hello @Kathryn Wheeler, do you mind if I also share the link to your video on Reddit? We have both r/Concertina (which is just a landing-place to send folks to here) and the r/Wales subreddit that both might enjoy this!
No problem, go ahead!Cheers!
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Thankyou, I appreciate that
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This thread is so useful! I play anglo but also piano accordion and feel that so much of what has been said applies to any free reed instrument where bellows direction doesn’t change the note
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Thankyou Tiposx! Glad you like it. Although I’m new to it I have been playing music for years including accordion so perhaps some skills are transferable.
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Thank you for all your responses - I’m digesting it all and am v grateful
I can now spot that strange watery sound (produced by my iPhone when doing “selfies” using the camera’s video) a mile off when I listen to other videos I’ve seen (similar when some people have used laptops)
It’s fascinating that the mic at the bottom of the phone (used when recording audio on it) is fine and even when videoing in non selfie mode it’s ok (ish). - so either the mic used when in selfie mode is duff or there’s something to do with the position of it and where I am in respect to it.
To be honest using a phone to record audio ain’t ideal is the conclusion! So I have now been using a wee recording device like those used here.
I think I could probably use a nice mic that would plug into either the phone or one that’d go into a laptop (but I hate the whirring noise a laptop in a room can introduce)
I do have an external sound card type thing you can plug two XLRs into which has usb to put into a computer so that’s an option. Though it’s way more faff setting up mics and sometimes I just want to record on the spot before I get too shy 😛
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That sounds really nice, Isel!
A ceiling lamp- innovative use of props, I like it!
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On 1/22/2021 at 7:27 PM, JoachimDelp said:
This sounds vey motivating to me.
Tried to conect https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyfaF1wA2EZagdS7E8i3ixw/featured
and could not find it.
Any chance to lsiten your playing anywhere, but possibly also on Youtube ?
Thanks in advacne
Joachim
Hi Joachim,
sorry I haven’t replied til now
The YouTube link there was to my channel. I just clicked on it and it worked for me - how odd!
perhaps if I link to one of my videos you can find my channel (and my other videos) from that?
I was m so very pleased that you found it motivating!
Let me know if it worked for you.
Ive only got a few concertina videos up there so far (arranged in a playlist) but that’s because videoing things on my own is all very new to me but I hope to do lots more.
And maybe, if it’s helpful, I could do some videos showing things in more detail - slower or explaining how I came up with arrangements?
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Hi Crimson Avenger!
I am a bit shy, but I have posted one of the others up here (albeit in the General Discussion forum because I was introducing myself
I forgot completely that I hadn’t posted Madoc of Hendy here!
Yes, I’m very very new to doing videos of me all on my own (needs must in the lockdown era, but actually it’s proving such an enlightening and useful thing to do, who knew..) but as you can see I have been in many videos for band/trio work before that
And videos of concertina is extremely new because I’m new to it (one year in April)
Thankyou, that’s really encouraging:)
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Morning!
I have a Welsh folk tale inspired new tune
Im discovering there are so many different ways you can accompany a tune on a 20button - and sustained chords (which are found at the end of this tune) are my latest enthusiasm!
But they sure take some thought and bellows planning
They really make me think of choral stuff and chapel organs which is lovely because I started playing as a wee dot on a reed organ.
Are there names for all these types of accompaniments beyond being harmonic in nature? So far I can think of octaves (on all or some notes), countermelodies (imitations, inversions, in parallel 6ths of 3rds, equal written so the countermelody is a nice tune in itself), bass and chord (rhythmic, oom pah etc), countermelody + rhythmic chords, sustained chords, accompaniment of all the above types on r hand..and of course many styles and combinations of the above
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Hi Richard,
No plans to venture beyond 20 buttons at the moment..I keep finding more things to do with those 20! 😂
Just now I stumbled on the most beautiful 9th chord - luckily I had the phone on record so I can rediscover how on Earth that happened!
And mashing the top four buttons together on the left makes a lovely Em7
Just considering the increased permutations just a few extra buttons might provide us enough to fry my head right now!
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I also love those three note block chords on both left and right sides (some of them I call “triangle chords” as they’re played across the ties and the shapes make nice triangles!)
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I use a 20button Anglo so there aren’t so many very low notes
What I tend to do at the moment I’d to work out a nice countermelody on the left hand and then add in the occasional chord notes to add rhythm - that way some notes in the countermelody act as “bass” notes
I don’t always use the root of each chord in the “bassline” - whatever makes a nice run of notes, so it could be a root, third or fifth of a chord
I guess all my years of playing chords on electronic organ in various inversions have stood me in good stead!
Aaa, it’d be so much easier to show you than describe it!
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As someone who loves playing harmonically and who is relatively new to it -
I made a note of whose playing (or which pieces) really stood out for me as something I love and (at first) literally played videos at a slower speed and noted down what was going on. That helped me but I’m experienced at that and it’s one way I’ve always learnt music - copy it, internalise it, learn the grammar of it, then play with it and modify/adapt to suit whatever I’m doing. Then play with new ideas
There are many different options and ways of doing it. Lots and lots to play with.
Ive started writing out tunes and accompaniments in a way that’s sheet music plus tab like Gary Coover’s system (of various sorts - countermelody/equal parts, countermelody plus chord like rhythm, octaves, thick chords, oom pah or a mixture)
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Anglo concertina and piano accordian.....
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
Had anyone else combined Anglo and piano accordion in an arrangement? I’m starting to realise what a great combination this can be! The Anglo really does have a different timbre that shines through. Obviously we can’t play both at the same time 😛 but it’s been fun to play with recording!