PeterT

Charlotte, Just a word of caution. I would not discourage anyone from learning more about music, and the theory behind music. Indeed, if you wish to play classical music, it will be essential. However, if you wish to play traditional music, do not get too bogged down with the theory and neglect practice and experimentation on the instrument. Do some of both. I know very little regarding the theory behind music, and all of what I do on the concertina has resulted from experimentation, with much trial and error. When what I play sounds "right", I know that it is right, even if I don't know why. Perhaps, if I could have understood the theory, my progress would have been faster, but in traditional music, the "rules" which work for one tune, in a given key, will work for many others. Regards, Peter.

Motivation is an interesting one. Do we do things because we want to, or have to? I train on my bike because I know that when my racing season starts, I want to produce my best possible performances, and I can't do this without training (practice). However, it is easy to over-train, not produce the expected performances, and lose interest. To an extent, it's the same when you play an instrument. You need a certain amount of practice to maintain a level of "performance". Whether you perform on the concert platform, in the pub, or for your own pleasure at home, the same rules apply; if you don't practice enough, any slightly technical piece becomes a major challenge. However, if all of your repertoire is easily within your playing ability, and you only practice these pieces, practice becomes boring and you lose interest. So, back to the bike! It's really not about the quantity of training, but the quality. More of the same, and you don't really improve. On an instrument, perhaps trying a well-known tune in a different key will make practice more interesting (certainly more of a challenge). On the Anglo, I used to try Morris tunes in two or three different keys, even though I knew that "playing out" I was only ever likely to use one key. That said, one season I used to play the "Upton-Upon-Severn Stick Dance" going from C to D to G, just to prove that I could do it. You may never do it "for real", but you learn a bit more about the instrument this way. Another idea, if you play more than one instrument, is to see whether a tune which you play on one instrument can be played on another one. It might have to be played in a different key (which might be no use in a session), but again it's a useful exercise. Over the years, I've tried out many tunes using the ideas above. Most I've dropped, but they have been a good exercise; some a real challenge. I like to think that I've learnt something more about the instrument, or my ability, as a result. Regards, Peter.

I too have fond memories of Pat. I've looked through my archive, which, in the near future, will be transferred to the I.C.A. To date, I have found three recordings of Pat, and I still have a couple of tapes to run through. Regards, Peter.

Picking up on the various postings, has there been any progress on the idea of getting a group together? I'm based in Croydon, and am happy to offer what help I can regarding tuition. Regards, Peter.

Hi Peter, Thanks. Only the name "borrowed", then. Regards, Peter.

Many years ago, when I had not been playing for long, my parents had two cats. The male totally ignored my playing (either thought it acceptable, or didn't have an opinion). The female, always very vocal, used to jump on my knees, stand on the concertina, and sing (or was it howl?) in my face! Needless to say, my concern for damaged bellows stopped me playing immediately. Peter.

Hi Peter, I presume that this song relates to the murder of Fanny Adams (see link below) who was buried in Alton cemetery, as are several members of my family. http://www.hants.gov.uk/museum/curtis/fannyadams/index.html Regards, Peter.

All good standard tunes at our session. Any chance of someone "with technology" adding these to the Concertina.net tunes page? Thanks. I'd forgotten that Bear Dance, on C/G Anglo, only uses three buttons for the melody; one on the C row, two on the G row. It doesn't have to be a complex tune to be fun in a session. Peter.

If so, please pass on my regards to the tutors, and regulars, who might remember me from the events in the early 90's. What a great venue, and let's hope that the weather is kind. Any chance of a posting with some notes and photos after the weekend? Thanks, Peter.

Well, I don't remember the first tune that I learned on concertina. I was a singer who wanted to play tunes on the concertina, but not being a musician, I didn't have a store of tunes, and also didn't read music. So, it was an interesting first year or so, playing around with the instrument. Interestingly, during this period, I graduated from a Lachenal which I couldn't play, to a top quality Wheatstone which I couldn't play! At least I had no excuses. After I'd been playing about 18 months (October 1982), I ventured to a Folk Club at Pinkney's Green, near Maidenhead. I decided that my first "performance" would be well away from my home patch, just in case it was a disaster. So, I do remember the first tune which I performed; it was Planxty Irwin. It seemed to go ok (i.e. no mistakes), and as I came off stage, an audience member said to me "Nice to hear a concertina played properly." So, I guess that I bluffed well even in the early stages of my playing. A few years later, when I was running concertina workshops, at Sidmouth, on behalf of W.C.C.P., one of my pupils was having performance problems. He had a reasonable repertoire of interesting tunes, but used to make mistakes when performing at his local club. Hearing him play, informally, I could see that he had the ability, it was just performance nerves. My advice to him was simple; practice four or five tunes so that, at home, the performance could be replicated 10/10 times without errors. Then the tunes would be ready for public performance, and any minor mistakes would not undermine the confidence. Using this as a building block, new tunes could be similarly introduced for public performance. A year later, he returned to Sidmouth a much more confident player, and able to confirm that I was right. Some four years after that, I was delighted to take a photograph of him proudly displaying the huge shield which he won at a concertina competition. As an aside, I'd adopted a similar philosophy of "don't cock it up on your own patch" when I sang in public for the first time at Alton Folk Festival, in Hampshire, back in 1979. There, I met a certain Chris Shaw who Alan Day might just remember from the Geroge sessions! Regards, Peter.

Hi Robin, Congratulations to Anne and yourself. Keep playing, and stay young! Regards, Peter.

Hi William, Chris Timson at Bradford-on-Avon is probably your best bet, and I'm sure that he will answer your posting. Another possibility is Dave Lambie who certainly used to live near Bristol. I've not had any contact since I sold him an instrument in the early 90's, but a Google search suggested that he was recently involved with Northgate Rapper: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/northgate.rapper/index.html Regards, Peter.

Howard, I think that this is what's known as an "English" tune. At least there's no bass line. Regards, Peter.

Looks excellent; thanks Mike. Regards, Peter.

Only upwards, Dave. 1st June 1984 saw me playing for North Wood Morris Men, just above Dambockhaus Schneeberg (Austria) at a height of 1810 metres. We then had a snowball fight with our hosts! Can anyone beat this (planes excluded!). Regards, Peter.

Here's how my train of thought and subsequent action went: If Dick Miles is right about the tune (probably is), then I will recognise it. I listened to the music clip; yes Dick is right. So far, so good! Dick then refers to Archie Leach; the grey cells then remember a reference to Archie Leach/Cary Grant in a Wurzels song. However, the brain video tells me that the image of Cary Grant is not correct , so better do an internet search. Result: some interesting facts, but not what I was looking for. Re-running the brain image tells me that it was Spencer Tracey; the main image is of the character trapped on deck, legs "lost", and the ship sinking. Repeat internet search. Bingo! ==================================== Subject: RE: LITTLE FISHES (TRAD?) - INFO PLEASE From: Bob Bolton Date: 21 Jan 99 - 12:14 AM G'day all, There were one or two versions of "Little Fish" collected in Australia in the 1950s. I'm fairly certain that there were claims that there were traditional versions pre-dating Spencer Tracey's rendition in "Captains Courageous". One bloke I used to know - Jack Wright - gave several verses ... and complained of his memory - he could only remember the clean ones! I'll look into the history and see what else I can find. Regards, Bob Bolton =================================== Regards, Peter.

Chris & Anne, Well done on completing 30 years together. Hope that the party goes with a swing, and I expect to see some postings after the events - how about a few photos? Regards, Peter.

Thanks Jim. I'll have to take my screwdriver to sessions in future, just to open up other players' instruments! Regards, Peter.

I made an interesting discovery, this week, when taking the reed pan out of my Dipper to cure a "buzzing" reed. Colin designed the reed pan to be at an angle, rather than horizontal, to increase the depth of some reed chambers. I don't know whether this is a common practice with other makers, but I've not seen it before. Peter.

Yes, the famous Southwark one. Well worth a visit; especially on a "session" night. Peter.

Chris, Which make of English do you have, and is it in good mechanical condition? Also, do you play melody/chords or just single line melody? Regards, Peter.

This is good news. I remember Steve from the early 80's, when he worked at Hobgoblin (their only shop was in Crawley, in those days) during the day, and was busy with club bookings in the evenings. I wondered what happened to Steve; a welcome return. Peter.

Like several other threads, I am coming to this one late; but better late, than never! Alan, Graham and the rest of the team are to be congratulated on the Anglo International project. It is significant now, and will be viewed as even more significant in another 20 or 30 years. It will be viewed as a milestone in concertina recording. If ever I needed an incentive to pick up the concertina and practice, all I have to do is look at the three magnificent Jeffries which adorn the CD cover - superb idea. So, to the music. What a great album. Difficult to know where to start; I'm sure that it will get played often over the months/years ahead. I probably most appreciate the recordings of Andrew Blakeney-Edwards and Fred Kilroy, as I did not have the opportunity to hear them play while they were alive. So, thanks to Roger Digby for these. Of the new recordings, I especially like John Kirkpatrick's version of "The Hen's March". Great listening, and just goes to show that you don't need whistle or bird call buttons to make these effects. Roll on the English and Duet International CDs, is all I say! Peter.

Hi Darren, As your last comment indicates, this topic should have a good pair of legs! Yes, it's all to do with the type of music, playing style, technique, and also the size and quality of the instrument. I don't think that there can be any "rules". Playing is more art than science. I'll give examples relating to Anglo: I play a standard size C/G Wheatstone, with six-fold bellows. It has been used variously for concerts, recordings, sessions, morris. In fact everything except Irish music. It would be a first rate Irish box. But I have good bellows/air button control (even in sessions, the bellows do not move much) and don't ever see the need for more than six-fold bellows. I see from the notes, on Anglo International, that Chris Sherburn uses a Wheatstone C/G with four-fold bellows. Now what does that tell us about his bellows control? Many other players "must" have seven-fold bellows on a C/G. I can understand it on a G/D, since the reeds may not speak as quickly, and if the instrument is used for morris playing, loud playing will be essential in some circumstances. I guess that it's a bit like "belt and braces"; good knowing that the extra fold is there, "just in case". Regards, Peter.

Hi Richard, The two names who spring to mind are: John Vernon, Gavin Atkin. They are both members of this Forum, but I'm not sure how often they access it. They both live some miles from you, but John is the nearer of the two. You could try contacting them direct (click on their names in the index). I'm sure that them would be willing to either post playing hints on the Forum, or direct to yourself. See also: http://www.concertina.com/jeffries-duet/ Regards, Peter.