sidesqueeze
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Posts posted by sidesqueeze
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I also share the goal of being able to play with old-timey musicians in a way that will fit. I've always enjoyed these Southern fiddle tunes, and I've played them on several other stringed instruments (including the fiddle).
Last week I played my anglo with some friends on fiddle, guitar, and clawhammer banjo. I did some of the tunes from Bertram Levy's new book, and a couple that were not in that collection. I tried to emulate the fiddler, but played more quietly. I punched the off-beat rhythms in the melodies with him, and fortunately I did little stumbling or stopping. Above all, I tried to blend rather than to dominate.
It went very well and they told me they're looking forward to hearing more from me in future old-time sessions!
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For some reason concertina players seem to manage to keep at it longer than most other instrumentalists. Obviously the concertina is an instrument less physical than for example the flute and the push button and you have a decent tone makes it easier than playing the fiddle when infirmity sets in. There have been a few examples, Mollie McCarthy, pictured in the attached article from the Clare Champion at 104 (she hadn't been outside the house since she was 80) and Bridget Dineen who went on playing I believe until she died at a hundred and six. And alongside Marty, that's only a few examples from Clare.
That's very ineresting, Peter.
Conductors are also known for living and working well into their seniority. I wonder if it has to do with the constant motion and exercise of the arms?
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Hey, Shas!
What's that you're pulling on in your picture?
It doesn't look like a Rochelle!
I will defer your question to the experts here.
Best wishes!
Ken
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Thank you Peter, they are fantastic photos!
Did you take them yourself?
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I recently acquired a square Herrington C/G. It is an excellent entry level instrument - sturdy, with good action and very reliable. It was built like a Sherman tank, and Harold Harrington assured me that it will be functional long after he and I are gone.
The posts in this thread have covered the topic very well. Harold doesn't make many instruments, and it's good news that he has one available now.
I might add that Harold is considering changing to steel concertina reeds. If he does that, he said his prices would have to go up, and my guess is that he would take a very long time to produce the first one with steel reeds.
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Paul Hardy made the trip from Redlands to Long Beach just to show me what concertinas looked and sounded like. He even opened one up on my kitchen table.
His generosity was the tipping point for me, and now I'm happily squeezing and collecting 'tinas in Long Beach, California.
Thanks again, Paul!
Carl, I'll respond to you privately.
Ken
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Just saw this - from the pictures posted, the concertina is missing half its buttons and at least 1/4 (I suspect all) of its reeds.
Obviously I'm not going to bid on this, but I wonder how it would be covered under eBay's buyer protection. What if it was bought by some unsuspecting person who didn't know what the inside of a concertina was supposed to look like? Or what if the seller hadn't posted the picture of the reed pan? Does advertising something as a "concertina," even if not in working order, imply that all the important parts are at least present?
It's a bargain at GBP 0.99! I'd guess that the case alone is worth at least GBP 0.66
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Ah. (Gilda Radner voice) Never mind!
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Greg Jowaisas is restoring an instrument from the mid-1850s for me that appears to be in original high pitch meantone tuning, and keeping it in that tuning. I want to play with 14 notes per octave, and fancy an instrument that was originally in that tuning over a newer one that was placed into it.
Dave,
You've lost me. You're not talking about a microtonal system of 14 evenly spaced notes per octave, are you? If so, was there really an instrument from the mid 1850's in that tuning? It boggles the mind.
Could you expound and expand on this? I'm a big fan of microtonalism, but I haven't run across qnyone using 14. 15 and 19 per octave are in use - but it's an acquired taste.
I knew Ivor Darreg when he lived nearby and visited his home, where he had a mad collection of perfectly tuned pipes, bells, and fretted stringed instruments in different microtonal systems.
Ken
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My favorite is Wrinkle Fiddle
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Hello m!
Nice to hear from you again!!
San Francisco is a hotbed of traditional fiddle music, in all the styles you mentioned. Also look for "old time" or "old timey" as a category.
The way to learn that music is to go to jam sessions. If you look for them, you will find them. You just have to get plugged in to the trad music scene there. Cozy up to the fiddlers you find, and learn where they gather. There are also camps in the area like Lark camp, and farther north the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend is coming. It's not full yet, and it's perfect for beginners. It's like heaven for the more experienced players!!
And you can also drag out your "wrinkle fiddle" for a few tunes!
Best wishes!
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That was 30 years ago, and I still visit him in memory when I play it.
I have also learned, the hard way, that once you've played a tune in a funeral, that tune will always take you back to that funeral.
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I had a really good time this past weekend, and I wanted to share a bit.
I enjoyed learning new tunes, new techniques, meeting folks from here and elsewhere, as well as getting to put my hands on other makes/models/types of concertinas! (Just let me know when you want to get rid of that Edeophone, StephenTx
)Jody was both a joy to behold as well as to learn from. Our class rendition of "Yellow Rose of Texas" was one of the high points of the weekend for me.
All in all, it was a very good festival, and I can't wait to go again next year!
I agree completely! It was a fantastic festival! I was pleased to meet many friendly people and talented players. The workshops were challenging for me. You'd all chuckle to hear me at home, working on those very simple exercises and trying to get my left hand to dance like Jody showed us.
I'll be back next year as well, to play with my new friends and see what you all have done with the materials.
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"The Auld Rocking Chair" is a lovely air that walks all over the left side of an anglo. I also use it to get a little shake vibrato to contrast with the fast tunes.
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Yes! Consider it sold.
I'll contact you through PM with details.
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Reed,
These all look fancier and more expensive than what you will need.
I second the idea of going to a music store and looking at the stock.
Look for a stand that will fold up to be very small. Look for one where the upper and lower parts do not separate, or you'll need a way to carry the parts together. The box, or a stand carrying bag would work.
Finally, no matter what stand you bring, you will need clothespins!!
You can also decide whether you want it to be sturdy enough to hold your entire notebook or not.
I'll see you at Old Pal!
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I've had an annoying chest pain for the last few weeks.
Yesterday I saw my doctor for a regular checkup. When he placed his stethoscope on the sore spot over my heart, I flinched. At that point I confessed to having played my anglos for several hours per day. I knew this was musculoskeletal pain because although it was right over my heart, I wasn't having any other cardiac symptoms.
His diagnosis was costochondritis. I was given a short lecture on the nature of the joints between the ribs and the breastbone, how they're related to where the pectoral muscle attaches nearby, and advised to cut back on the activity that caused it and to take over-the-counter antiinflammatories.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a Rochelle to keep as a 'beater.' I noticed immediately that it was much more difficult to play than my leaky Lachenal. I had some soreness in the muscles of my arms and shoulders but I decided to take this as an opportunty to build stamina.
I was relieved to have confirmation that my pain was not cardiac in origin.
Last night I played for 15 minutes on the Lachenal. Nobody listens to their doctor - right, Yvonne?
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It was like seeing my whole [1973] wardrobe flash before my eyes...
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Gary,
I could make use of arrangements of the Playford tunes with simple accompaniments. There's an active English Country Dance scene here in southern California.
At the moment I play only Irish session tunes on my anglo, plus the first few American fiddle tunes from Bertram's book.
All my arrangements have been made for coming to Old Pal.
Ken
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Jim,
If you're referring to the thread about reading in sessions, that's not what I meant. I'm talking about memorizing pieces that last for more than just a few minutes, like the pieces in the "All American Concertina Album."
I'm in complete agreement that written music has no place in sessions.
This was my only contribution to the subject, on ANY thread.
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I also have the "All-American Concertina Album" for anglo. The pieces are truly complex and the book has slipped way down in my stack of music, as I'n not feeling ready to tackle these yet. Besides, I'm not sure where I'd play those Sousa pieces!
The clef problem is daunting for most of us, and certainly not simple for me. But it brings up an interesting topic.
Reading music is a skill that comes in many levels of expertise. We usually start by reading large simple notes, then progress to a more complex mess with chords, tied notes, and syncopations. But there are higher degrees of musical literacy beyond that. A good conductor should be able to look at a full page score and reconstruct the music for a dozen different instruments in his/her head simultaneously, even the instruments that are written in transpositions (like trumpets, where what's written in Bb sounds in C).
Another scary bunch are the renaissance recorder ensembles, where a good player is expected to be able to sight read four or five clefs.
And there are some guitarists who have scored parts at concert pitch by using the split (piano) staff. Johnny Smith was one.
Reading music is an ongoing process and you continue to improve as you go. Sight reading is overrated, only top pros (or pianists) need to do that. For the rest of us, we use the music to refer to rather than memorizing everything we play.
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I want it! PM sent.
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It sounds like a hoot!
Any specifics on location/transportation/lodging would be appreciated!
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Thanks everyone! I hadn't considered mahogany, but that sounds a lot more likely than oak for an instrument I think.
Can you post a picture of the unfinished side of the wood?
Concertina in Ridley Scott's Prometheus
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
IMHO, it wasn't music. He just pushed a few of the buttons and pulled on the bellows. I'd call it more of a concertina sound.
And that was the high point of the movie!!