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Charlotte

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Posts posted by Charlotte

    Newbie Question - Long And Drawn Out

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    Now, the question: Does anyone have a graphic of the button pattern of a Stagi W-15 LN 30 button Anglo? That seems to be the only box that I see within my price range, at least for now.

     

    Hi.

     

    I don't know if this helps but member CaptainMike posted the graphic layout of his Stagi W015-MS box.

    You can find it here: CaptainMike's excellent drawing. I don't know, however, if the button layout on the W015-MS is as on the W-15 LN.

    Fun With Thread Drift

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    The whole structure!

    I thought you would need four arms to be a carbon atom so he's wrong somewhere.

     

    Robin Madge

     

    Actually he's right. Remember that each carbon atom shares a bond with two other carbon atoms besides the two hydrogen, resulting in something like this: cyclohexane.jpg

     

    So now I'm really impressed! Especially considering the fact that the angle between the bonds are ca. 109 degrees (I think. Chemistry classes seem a little vague to me now)

    Concertina Player On The Steamboats

    in Concertina History

    Posted

    Thanks for the links.

    Looked and listen to some bits.

    Interesting instrument. It is sort of girlish instrument nowadays, and the presented music mostly is very slow and airy. Kind of boring. I wonder if they played a bit faster and choppier in the early days. Anybody has links to choppy rhythmic harp music?

     

    In Latin American folk music it isn't girlish. I'm not aware of how folk music thrives in South America these days. My parents spent some years there in the 50's and 60's (Mostly before I was born). But they brought back some records. There was particularly one record with harp music from Paraguay that I liked. Here is s sound clip: Pajaro Campana

    A Real Dumb Question

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Internet abbreviations. "IMHO" means "in my humble opinion". I'm not as humble as Chris. :D

     

    By the way, have you spoken with your parents recently? ;)

     

     

    Oh, he he, I certainly didn't look through that (IMVHO).

     

    And, Yes, I spoke with my parents today. Apparently You met in Stengade in Helsingør (hmm Elsinore in English?) Saturday! My dad asked when I would be able to play like You do. I had to disappoint him and say that he'd have to wait another 20-30 years....

    A Real Dumb Question

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Which of these groups do you know, and what do you think of them?

    ... Lang Linken

    ... Haugaard & Høirup

    ... ULC

    ... Baltinget

     

    I knew Lang Linken. The others I didn't know. I have found their homepages now, and both the Haugaard & and Højrup and the Baltinget sites have some downloads. I like their music. Hmmm, it seems that I have some new CD's to buy! Thanks Jim.

    A Real Dumb Question

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Charlotte

    "Forgive me, I'm just a dane trying to learn"

     

    If you're a Dane, why don't you learn Danish tunes? And why Danish tunes are not prominent? I am actually worried that concertina leans towards Irish rather disproportionately. It becomes boring at times, especially if one wants to buy CDs with concertinas on them. Or Harmonicas. It's either Blues or pretty much nothing. Or it's Irish or make your own.

    And what am I to do, if I'm not Irish, not even English, not even a white european of arian descent? A tutor? - Irish. A CD? - Irish. A session? - Irish.

    I can't play Irish, even if it hits me over the forhead. I don't get it. Not in my blood, for God's sake!

    Give us some Danish tunes, please!

    One can agrue that concertina fits Irish music the best, Harmonica fits Blues. But could it be simply a bunch of energetic people, who made it happen?

    Like balalaika in Russia, a dying instrument, which was resurrected and brought back to popularity by Fjodorov (?) or Irish music's popularity traced to Riverdance.

    I know, I know, Jim, there are some examples. I'd like to have more, at least 1 out of 10, not 1 out of 50.

     

    Ah well, my problem is that I prefer Irish, Swedish, Russian, South american tunes (among others) to Danish ones. Unfortunately I have only heard few Danish traditional tunes. It is without doubt my fault for not being enquisitive enough about my own cultural background. Unfortunately we are not good at preserving our cultural heritage here in Denmark. I sense that in in the U.K. You are much more appreciative about your cultural background than we are and I envy you that. My judgement is based on what I have been able to find on the WWW (Unfortunately I have never been to the U.K, I don't know anyone from the U.K. and I have no idea about what people in general feel about their cultural background there). It is, however, easy to find sites where you can find and buy Irish traditional music. I can't find sites where I can find danish traditional music. I have no opinion about how you feel in other countries (but I'd like to know what you think).

    Unfortunately, however, the few danish tunes I have heard just don't catch my imagination. It is really sad, but it is a fact... Perhaps, if I search more thoroughly I'll find some danish tunes that I'd like to learn to play.

     

    My own interest in Irish music stems, not from Riverdance, but further back. My brother shared a flat with an Irish fellow some 30 years ago. He had some records with Irish music that made my ears grow to double their normal size.... I haven't got a clue as to why I have always wanted to play the concertina. It is not exactly the best known instrument here in Denmark. Well, at least now my neighbours know how it sounds like. In fact, yesterday I found that the young woman living upstairs began to stomp rather heavely across the floor. I immediately felt guilty and decided to try to play very quietly (She is a very tiny specimen of the human race). Then it hit me... perhaps she wasn't stomping, perhaps she was dancing!!! So I gave it another go!!!

     

    Edited to correct the spelling mistakes that always seem to creep in no matter how much you try to proof-read the stuff you write

     

    And now I had to edit the edited!!! :o

    A Real Dumb Question

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    When it comes to folk music the focus is, as far as I can see, on Irish/English. This may be a dumb question for which I deserve this years stupidity prize, but what about music from Scotland and Wales? How come tunes from these places are not as prominent? Perhaps they are and I have just not noticed? Or if they are not, why not?

     

    Forgive me, I'm just a dane trying to learn.... :unsure:

     

    Charlotte

    The Air Button

    in Instrument Construction & Repair

    Posted

    It's hard to imagine when you start, but it does become automatic. You are constantly adjusting the air pressure to get the bellows to the position you need to be in to play the next phrase, but playing the air button just becomes part of playing the tune - it's just another "note" to finger.

     

    When you practice (scales etc) do you also practise using the air button or does the use of it come naturally by itself?

    Practising

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    English is well known as "a language in which any noun can be verbed." B)

    Same goes for adverbing an adjective. :D

     

    Thanks. This forum is a goldmine when it comes to knowledge/advice as to the world of the concertina. And I get the chance of practising/improving my english!

    Practising

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    I'll be trying some scales as well, though I think that for me doing them for more than just a few minutes could become quite dull.

     

    I set myself some goals when playing scales. For the time being it's just to play them clearly, accurately and at the same time trying to increase speed. Once I've achieved that (in 10 years or so :lol: ), I'll try to add some rhythm, ornaments etc. In that way I will prevent myself from turning off my brain while practising scales. From my vast experience :rolleyes: - I took up the concertina and music in general last christmas - it's frightfully easy to fall into the habit of playing scales mindlessly and sloppily simply because one ought to (i.e. play the scales, not turn the brain off, even though that can be nice once in a while). By setting myself some goals I even happen to find that practising scales can become, well, not exactly thrilling, but at least less boring.

     

    P.S. Can I use the word "sloppily"? I think so, but I couldn't find it in my danish-english dictionary

    Musical Theory

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted · Edited by Charlotte

    do not get too bogged down with the theory and neglect practice and experimentation on the instrument. Do some of both.

     

    Oh, I won't! Playing, practice and experimentation is just much more fun than studying theory, so I'm spending most of the time with the instrument. I just feel that it never hurts with a little knowledge. I seem to have fallen into a rhythm where I spend 10-20 minutes a day with some theory (at this stage it's note reading, scale building and such very basic stuff.), 10-20 minutes practicing scales on the concertina, and an hour or so playing, i.e. practising a few tunes, experimenting with different fingerings, and trying to pick up speed (I've found the virtual session on BBC and by now I can play along with "Planxty Irwin" and the slow reels "Rakes of Mallow" and "Peg Ryans".)

     

    So, it's a tiny bit of theory and lots of plain enjoyment for me! :)

     

    And thanks again for the help.

    Guckulåt Efter Josefs Lars (continued)

    in Tunes /Songs

    Posted

    "7. Guckulåt efter Joseks Lars 2:27

    Mats Rehnberg writes "Even in Nås have several pipers existed. Some of them are known to their name. The foremost is without doubt Gucku Olof Olsson with the soldier name Svedman. The brother was a soldier with the name Sommar and like the father, Gucku Anders, a fiddler. He often played with his sons. In general, it was often pointed out in Nås, that the bagpipe was best heard in combination with the fiddle". (Per säckpipa, Ola fiddle)".

     

    Still doesn't explain what "Gucku" means. A name - a nickname? My wife shook her head when I asked what a "guckulåt" was - "Some tune from Dalarna".

     

    Hey, now finally something makes sense. In Dalarna, where Nås is situated, it is, or was, very common with names of houses and farms. Those names were a part of the persons' names to identify what house or farm someone came from. Gucku is a farm name, as it seems, and Gucku Olof Olsson was simply Olof Olsson from the Gucku farm. So, a Guckulåt must be a tune from the Gucku farm.

     

    according to this site http://www.xasa.com/wiki/sv/wikipedia/n/ny...ildade_ord.html (for those of you who understand swedish), "gucku" is an old swedish word for "cuckoo"....

     

    Charlotte

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