geoffwright
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Posts posted by geoffwright
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Maybe so Mike, but many branches have their own pad to keep the local "tradition" of reels going.
Also bear in mind that a wider selection of what we would class "traditional" repertoire is played for set dancing than would be found in the freer session environment.
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Not wishing to shoot the argument down "in flames". but I noticed on a trip around the "Cutty Sark" and the Greenwich Maritine Museum that not one concertina was in evidence in photos.
My grandfather was born on a barge with 12 brothers but had room to play piano accordion rather than concertina. Funnily enough, he lived in Mexborough and took me in the Concertina Club on a weekend from me being a toddler (early 1950s), I saw brass bands in there, but never a concertina band.
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I suspect wall-to-wall reels is caused in part, by Comhaltas producing tune books for the kids, who then only play tunes in the book and tunes from the latest cds. Hornpipes, polkas and to a lesser extent jigs, have nearly become extinct in some Irish seshs.
I find that I pick up session tunes quite slowly, so if surrounded by people playing an unfamiliar tune at breakneck speed, I'm likely to just look bewildered (or more bewildered than normal) and slope off to find another beer...Sorry, Stuart - if that was Swaledale, it was my fault.
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THe answer!!
Just returned from Swaledale - what you lot (who didn't go) missed!!!!
I sat in Kates brilliant workshop and she is a dab hand (ho ho) at "slap rolls", which are nothing to do with sandwiches. I will post separatley on this subject.
She did add that Mary does not normally use this technique for triplets, relying on bellows shake.
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I recomend sticking with ABC - I can write ABC at work in notepad and no one notices.
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The Royal Hotel @ Dungworth sesh usually has 6 to 8 anglo players and we have seen up to a dozen on a guest night.(Sadly our numbers have recently been cut by 2 of our stalwarts)
The Swaledale Squeeze must be the next largest gathering to Witney. It's on next weekend. SEE YOU ALL THERE !!!!!!!!!!
(details cnet passim)
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I test-drove a Rochelle (courtesy of the Music Room) when they first appeared. It was mechanically perfect, sounded fine and I played it in an unamplified band for a month where it could be heard at the back of the room, the only small minus (to me), is that it is "chunkier" than the average concertina, but ideal for beginners and a bargain at the price.
Go for it.
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There is an even better photo in the Windsor Castle pub Windsor, of the Queen and her sister pointing up in the air. The caption is "Achtung - Messerschmitt".
I prefer St. Edmund - the original patron saint of England. This St. George lark with his In-Ger-Land flag was foisted upon us by William the Conkerer in his Sagesse Normande (Norman Wisdom) because he won.
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Peter, like me, was a champion of all things Northumbrian, especially tunes - a really genuine bloke who will be sadly missed.
The Dungworth concertina group has had a particularly sad month losing two of our most colourfull players in short succession.
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The only reaction I got in Liverpool Airport was "Eh its another of those squeezy things".
No doubt in the key of "Eh, Eh?"
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Hi Steve,
Good on you - I can also swap from anglo to english mid-tune - we must be wired up wrong!
If you are Sheffield based, get yourself along to the Royal Hotel, Dungworth for the pie-eating and concertina playing there - we nect meet on 24th April.
Concertinas also feature at the sessions at the Rivelin - keep an eye on cnet for the next session.
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Is it about being a jobsworth and not applying common sense?.
I wrote to my local MP (old Labour) to complain about him supporting legislation which affected trade union musicians. He said that he didn't think it was a problem locally as the Council used common sense when applying the legislation (and in practical terms he may be right as I haven't heard of anything being cancelled locally).
Nationally, I do see the many problems where common sense is not used. I also see the root of the problem being totally in the hands of the Ministress for Super-Casinos and Late Opening of Pubs who is soon to be in charge of Arts funding cut-backs on an Olympian scale.
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Panic !!!! - I have a gig and Concertinas @ Witney has moved date a week later - 28-30th September 2007
Some of us take on gigs over a year in advance and try to arrange our diaries around things like Swaledale and Witney being the usual week. It really screws things up when the organisers don't go out of their way to publicise alterations like this. Yes, it is on the website, and in the ICA events calendar, but if someone hadn't told me, it might have been too late.
You have been warned
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St Paddys in Darlington was a temptation and a half - I have forgone alcohol for Lent and ended up at a gig with a beer festival (there was stout and porter on).
Two little leprechauns were playing in the bar so I joined them for an hour then went to play my gigs - two ceilidhs for English people. The band started up for the evening dance and half the audience walked out (again) - they were in the wrong room and wanted to hear Jez Lowe.
We played a few Irish tunes and it was all very sensible (for a change).
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Now just remind me, why do the words JUDGE and CONCERTINA seem to be familiar?
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Corofin Festival, having just past, which attending last year, I thought the Festival and Edel warranted a thread on their own. The festival is very much aimed at the younger end of ITM.
This clip of Edel from 2004, shows a very promising young player and is worth studying for her triplets using the "phantom button" method - tap one finger on the keys and the other finger on the grille to get a triplet.
http://comhaltas.ie/music/detail/comhaltas...ent_5_edel_fox/
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A damn good tune to encourage use of the pinkey for the low notes.
Use the 4th finger for the A,
then pinkie, 4th, 3rd for the DFA
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Just looking at the barn dance, I would play most of it on the C row (up to the high d), from high e upwards on the G row, and also use the low F# and D on the G row (more or less Noel Hills suggested method).
It is worth practising as above, if only for the ornaments that become available on the pull f#/e and C/B buttons.
If any of this is unclear - please feel free to ask.
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I have a single concertina that plays in F,C,G and D.
It is called a C/G.
I do carry two around in a carry-all, but one is an english and one an anglo.
As well as the crumbling foam, I have also read about the chemicals from the foam tarnishing metal ended boxes.
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I agree - I was at work when I counted them so my eyes must have been going funny.
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Some interesting Irish photos on this site, including one of Gerdy Commane with an interesting looking box (28 key?)
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Thats good news - As long as his dancing partner was returned - that was the best thing in the magic box (despite being a little wooden).
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It is interesting in the Heckmondwyke photo how many use a razor (3 or 4), and on the other photo, how many don't (3?).
Must be colder Oop North?
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Having tried both, I prefer the buttons and action on the Rochelle - I have "test-driven" one 3 evenings in the band recently with no problems, but each to their own - different actions suit different players.
Reel-to-reel Domination
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
I spent most of the afternoon and early evenings at Mrs Crottys, listening with amazement and entranced at the standard of dancing and of the bands playing for the sets. They really were top class and I did note how wide the range of tunes were - I did know a lot of them (hence my comment about it being a more trad repertoire), and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't all reels. (60% reels isn't that bad)
As opposed to some of the sessions I attended, which were reel-to-reel walls.
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