geoffwright
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Posts posted by geoffwright
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A number of concertina players used to meet at this now defunct session - please note -
The new landlord at the Blue Bell tells us that we are no longer welcome.
So we have moved back to the Waterfront, West Stockwith, where we are.
Dates will remain as usual; 3rd Wednesday with a French music session on 1st Wednesday.
SESSIONS AT THE WATERFRONT, WEST STOCKWITH
October 19, November 16, December 21, January 18
French sessions: November 2, December 7, January 4
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I think it was something like my 6th Witney concertinas, and I still find them maddening - they make you want to unlearn everything you have done all your playing life and try a different method. Not a bad thing.
It is almost impossible to cater for all levels, although some Witney courses are classed as such.
When you have sight-readers, slower readers and non-readers in the same class, do you teach everything by ear? Would you get through less or more music teaching by ear? I'm not sure.
Brian's Saturday course was for all systems - another problem when you have 3 different concertina systems on the go.
Saturday was nearly as much chat as playing - tune collections are an interest of mine so I enjoyed that, others may have been wanting to play more.
I am happy with chord theory and cross finger only to play in different keys, but don't use chords much so Sunday was of interest.
Sundays course boiled down to the same old story - if you want to play more than 3 chords, you have to start cross fingering to play bits of the tune in one direction. And to do that, you need to start to learn anglo scales in one direction.
Food for thought for all anglo players (that want to play chords).
Well done Brian.
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To further baffle Jim, working from D upwards, the modes have the intervals
Dorian - T S T T T S T
Phrygian - S T T T S T T
Lydian - T T T S T T S
Mixolydian - T T S T T S T
Aeolian - T S T T S T T
with the "theoretical" modes
Ionian - T T S T T T S
Locrian - S T T S T T T (first and fifth notes are not perfect fifths)
I was taught these with the mnemonic DiPLoMA. Has anyone heard a better mnemonic?
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Try playing it - as soon as I reach for a box my cat runs away.
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I have never really got my head around chords on anglo (hence attending Brian Peters' excellent workshop at Witney) BUT I play in octaves as often as I can - twice as loud.
You can emphasise the rhythm just the same and once you have worked out how to fiddle the crossover, it becomes second nature.
I promise I will work harder at my chords Brian.
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Just returning back from a great weekend at Witney Concertinas. I played this on Friday night and on Saturday, and lots of people said they knew the tune, some even remembered the words, but everyone said they haven't heard anyone play it for ages.
I heard John Kirkpatrick play it some 30 years ago, I could remember snippets of it, but haven't heard anyone play it since. Until last week that is, when I found out what it was called so looked it up.
I think it is a super tune and should be played more, so as promised, it is now on the Tunatron.
Enjoy!!
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I read it suggested that we should register our own arrangements with PRS and fill in a form to claim royalties every time we play our own arrangements.
Bit unfeasible if my band pad has hundreds of arranged tunes in?
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How do you go on with accordion-type reeded concertinas if a note stops sounding. Can you get the individual reed out to give it a blow-out?
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"Concertina's at Arran" doesn't need an apostrophe. It is another case of the grocer's apostrophe, which does need one.
Don't get possesive!
Hyphen-python.
Still on a grammatical note, in her book "Eats Shoots and Leaves", Lynne Truss gives the "long suffering python" as an excellent example of not using a hyphen.
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Concertina's what? ..... Concertinas apostrophe's?
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Its usually arrives towards 2 weeks beforehand, nothing yet though.
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I fancied "Bodhrans at Witney", but I look like having to make do with Concertinas.
I will be there in both of Brian Peter's classes.
I will also be at Hexham Folkworks weekend - look it up at www.thesagegateshead.org if you don't know about it.
Tutors are Alistair Anderson, Sandra Kerr, as well as Nollaig Casey, Claire Mann, Karine Polwart, Chris Newman, Maire Ni Cathasaigh,Robin Dunn, Will Hampson, Anthony Robb,Ian Lowthian, Vic Gammon, Pete Challoner, David Oliver.
A top class line-up for most instruments.
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...the impression that concertina players are illiterate...
Should we start referrring to ourselves as the illiterati?
After all the previous comments about anglo players not being able to "read"?
GW (anglo and english "reader")
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Give it a rest!!
This is covered elsewhere, but after some 3 years, I have got out of using my little finger ...... to grip the concertina.
It is useful, even for part of the tune - if you have low notes to play, take the pinkie off the rest and tilt the concertina back 10 degrees. It is much easier to finger the lower notes.
I guess part of the stress people feel is in gripping the box between thumb and pinkie. If you can relieve some of this tension, even for part of the tune, it all helps.
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The Royal Hotel, Dungworth (UK) will be hosting the usual monthly concertina evening for anyone who fancies - alterations are not yet complete so we will eat beforehand at the Nags Head on the B6077 out of Loxley, around 7.15
8pm - All systems - newcomers particularly welcomed.
Contact Mark Davis for details/directions.
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The cathedral choir I sing with, occasionally do a concert at a maximum security prison (where we have a captive audience). Previous years, they have been very keen on security and confiscated all pencils and tuning forks (tools of the trade for an acappella singer).
This year, they went over the top and x-rayed the sheet-music (for concealed razor blades?).
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.... or buy an English 'tina.
What use is that? I would suggest ..... learn to play English 'tina.
Personally, I found English con even easier to learn than Anglo, but I will not give up either now. I must admit though, I only picked up English for ease of playing in keys more awkward on anglo, not because of running out of air.
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When I saw "Jammer", I had visions of a gadget to stop concertinas playing (my family want one).
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How many concertina players does it take to change a lightbulb?
If it's a Jeffries lightbulb, there will be various ways of changing it.
If its a Duet lightbulb, you can change two at the same time.
And I suppose, if it's an English lightbulb, you have to keep moving from side to side.
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It appeared on thesession.org some months ago - the largest complaint about it was that the help button didn't do anything so we cannot get an overall view of its capabilities.
There is no contact email or anything to get this chased up.
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Mine has a burglar alarm already fitted - it emits high-pitched, ear-piercing sounds if removed from its case......
So my family tell me.
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I didn't put the date of the last meeting in my diary and we forgot to email everyone so I missed it. (The pie-kitchen at the Royal is not completed yet).
If anyone fancies a tune, Mark and self are meeting to eat in the Old Horns, High Bradfield after 7pm on Tuesday 19th, then moving on to the Royal.
Gringley-on-the-Hill is Wednesday evening.
Anyone want directions let us know.
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I have also sung in Amahl so know about Kaspars Magic Box - He must have been King of Pontefract as he kept liquorice in it.
(He was also as deaf as a post so would probably like concertinas - not very politically correct, I know)
Some people's concertina boxes work the opposite way - if the box is in sight, there is no chance of playing camels.
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As an anglo-ite, my english HAD to have a bellows-closing lever. As one of those who finds the need (often boredom?) to switch box in the middle of a tune, I find it indispensible.
Blue Bell, Gringley-on-the-hill, Non-session
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
No, although the room has a bit of a dance-floor (from disco days?) it is more of an eaterie. I suspect they think that is the way they want to go - but mid-week? Can they afford to turn down 2 nights of non-troublemaking, visitor attracting, drinking musicians a month without even meeting them?