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Mikefule

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  1. Playing in octaves on Anglo? There are many approaches. I will assume a CG Anglo. Change the notes accordingly if you are on another tuning such as GD. As a starting point, play a simple 3 note phrase in parallel octaves: CDE CDE repeated. Then try CDE EDC CDE EDC etc. Then try CDEF CDEF etc. Build up in the obvious way. In C, you will find that you can work up to CDEF GAAG FEDC without problems. The next note is a problem: both B notes are on the right hand. There are two ways to get round this. 1) The left hand drops down an octave for the B and C, or 2) Cross to the G row. Crossing the rows is an important skill, so I suggest you work on this: CDEF on the C row GABC on the G row Once you can do this, you can extend up and down the scale, building your confidence incrementally by adding one rung of the ladder at a time. The next question is how you use this skill. There are several approaches including: 1) Playing everything in parallel octaves, note for note. This can be monotonous. 2) Only playing the lower octave on the down beats. 3) Doing 2 above most of the time, but with occasional bursts of 1 above. I found that this approach of consolidating a short part of the scale, then adding one more rung every so often worked for me.
  2. If you are playing in the major key in one of the 2 main keys of the instrument, the tune will usually be mainly on the push. If you are playing in a different key (for example, D major on a CG box, then there may be a greater proportion of pull notes. However, playing in a third or fourth major key on an Anglo (D or A instead of C or G, for example) is advanced stuff. However, many traditional tunes are not in the major key. They might look like they are when you see them written down, and they have all the notes of (say) C major. However, you will you notice that the home note is on the pull (D on a CG box). If the home note (tonic) is on the pull, then the tune will be mainly on the pull. You will start to recognise these tunes with time and practice. You will also find that the air button becomes less of an issue the more that you play. A beginner tends to play slowly, so each note is longer and requires more air. A beginner tends to hold onto a note while they are working out what note comes next. That requires more air. A beginner tends to squeeze and hold the buttons down, whereas a more experienced player "taps" them percussively for the shorter notes. A beginner generally tends to leave less "daylight" between the notes. A beginner is often a bit frightened of using the air button, and takes big clumsy "gulps" of air which disturb the rhythm of the tune. A beginner tends to stick to a small number of familiar fingering patterns. As you gain experience, you will find: You play a little bit faster, so you use less air. You know what note's coming next and you flow into it smoothly without having to hold and think. You tend to play with a lighter touch, tapping the buttons, except on the long notes. You find there are gaps between the notes. The notes make a picket fence rather than a wall. You start tapping the air button at several convenient moments in the tune, taking small breaths to adjust the volume of air in the bellows, rather than filling or emptying them in one big movement. You find that there are several possible ways to play a run of notes, and you can choose options which help you to manage the air in the bellows.
  3. I was a serial failed musician. Aged 17-18 (around 1980), I bought a simple diatonic harmonica and got good enough to play a few jigs and reels at the local folk club. I then bought a chromatic harmonica but made no progress with it. I then bought a Koch tuned chromatic harmonica, which is nearer to a standard diatonic in layout, but never really took to it. I then tried penny whistle but only briefly. Ditto with the fife. I then bought my first 2 row melodeon. I got good enough to knock out a few Morris tunes, but never really enjoyed it. I have since owned 2 other 2 row melodeons and a 1 row that I seldom played. I no longer own any melodeons. I also had piano lessons for a while. And trumpet lessons. And drum lessons. And guitar lessons. I even bought a glockenspiel, inspired by a short-lived craze of listening to MJQ and Milt Jackson. (I couldn't afford a proper vibraphone.) By this stage, I was in my mid 40s and had still not found an instrument I really enjoyed. I was more "playing at music" than "playing music". I knew about the concertina: I had heard them played a few times, but in most cases, I had not been particularly impressed. But one day, bored, I started Googling concertinas, trying to understand the difference between Anglo and English. Something drew me in. Logically, the English was the instrument for me: fully chromatic, and laid out in a consistent and logical pattern. I was tired of "transposing instruments" (harmonica, melodeon, trumpet) where there is an extra barrier to reading the dots. I borrowed an English concertina and practised every day for about a month. I learned to lay a simple scale, but couldn't coordinate sufficiently to play a tune. Then, by coincidence, I heard an Anglo played by an expert (Keith Kendrick) one night, and an English played by an expert (Dave Ledsam) the next night. Although both were wonderful, I knew the Anglo was the sound I was looking for. Based on advice in this forum, I ordered a Rochelle. Coincidentally, I bought it via Dave Ledsam's music shop, and booked lessons with Keith Kendrick. I made enough progress in a few weeks to allow Keith to persuade me to upgrade to a Marcus. For logistical reasons, I had to stop lessons with Keith, but I then managed to persuade an old acquaintance, Alan Davies, against his better judgement, to give me lessons. I had monthly lessons for something like 10 years. I now own 5 Anglos and practise for at least a few minutes almost every day and love it.
  4. I have owned: Rochelle 30 button C/G. Sold. A good basic beginner's box. Marcus 30 b G/D "Deluxe". Sold. A nicely made box, a bit heavy, and the action was rather clicky. Jeffries 38(?) button B flat/F. Sold. A beautiful box, smooth to play and a lovely sound. I sometimes regret selling it, but I had no need for B flat/F. I own: Dipper 30 b G/D with amboyna ends. My pride and joy. Lachenal 20 b C/G, 5 fold bellows. One of the nicest Lachenal 20s I've played. Lachenal 30 b C/G, baritone, 5 fold bellows. Lovely tone on the left hand, slightly less so on the right. I play it occasionally. Lachenal 20 b C/G piccolo. An impulse buy. Very high pitched, and the left hand sometimes overwhelms the right, so it encourages a sparse (and therefore carefully selected) accompaniment. I enjoy playing it from time to time. Marcus 21 b Traveller, C/G. You can find my review of this elsewhere in the forum. A beautifully made box, although not subtle. I have played: Every box I have had chance to play including: 5 other 20 button Lachenal C/G before choosing the one I bought. At least 2 x Lachenal 20 b G/D Briefly, a Lachenal 20 b D/A Several AC Normans, mainly 30 b C/G or G/D Another Rochelle, which I played recently, long after I sold my own. Various 30 b Lachenals. 2 or possibly 3 Connors. They were nicely made but I personally did not enjoy playing them.
  5. I don't play English, but I know a man who does. In fact, I know several. They use the bellows like a violin bow: sometimes long strokes, sometimes short, sometimes "percussively". The piano accordion gets similar criticism. One way of playing it is long bellows strokes, maybe one stroke per phrase of music, which can make it either mellow and relaxing, or bland and unexciting, depending on your point of view. However, a good musician knows when to use one technique and when to use another. I have known piano accordionists who could play for the Morris with more "punch" and "lift" than most melodeonists. Conversely, the Anglo is sometimes stereotyped as a push pull instrument that is "best for dance music" but it is possible to play whole scales and phrases (sometimes whole tunes) in one bellows direction.
  6. I play Anglo in a harmonic style with lots of bass work with my left little finger (pinkie). I have never had any substantial success playing standing up, let alone dancing. A former member of our Morris side used to play Anglo as a single line of melody and was therefore able to support the ends of the instruments more easily. He would occasionally dance a jig whilst playing, and would very occasionally join in the set. Many years ago, as a show dance at the Thaxted annual meeting, my side put up a complete set of dancing musicians (mainly melodeon, one Anglo) and had a non musician standing "to attention" in the position where the musician would normally stand. My own claim to fame was that I used to dance a Morris jig, including all the hand movements, whilst playing a small harmonica (mouth organ). I haven't done it for a few years now.
  7. Option 1: 20 Keys (buttons), Bone Buttons, Rosewood Ends, Steel Reeds, 6 Fold bellows, Concert Pitch Option2: 20 Keys, 5 Fold bellows, Wood Ends, Bone Buttons, concert pitch, refurbished, excellent condition. Rosewood ends should be specifically rosewood. Wood ends may or may not be rosewood, depending on the seller's level of knowledge. Bone buttons are common on Lachenals. 5 fold bellows is the basic spec. 6 fold bellows in the same condition would make the instrument easier to play. Steel reeds are more durable but less mellow than brass. (Others may have different views on this.) Concert Pitch is important. An instrument that has not been retuned to modern concert pitch will be out of tune with modern instruments, but in tune with itself. I have a 20 button Lachenal and have very much enjoyed playing it. It has a charming simplicity to it: 5 fold bellows, bone buttons, and a clickity click action that makes me feel I am playing something with character. However, I play it less often these days as I now have a brand new 21b Marcus Traveller in the same keys.
  8. Hi, all, I keep my concertinas in their cases in the part of the house which has the most stable temperature and humidity. However, I am noticing some whiteness on the outside of the leather parts of the bellows. It looks like it might be something like a salt leaching out of the glue, or it may be a slight touch of mildew? Also, the folds are gathering some dust. What do you use to clean the outside of your bellows, please?
  9. A big percentage of tunes in a major key can be played on one row. Indeed, if you are versatile about starting a tune on the left hand octave, the vast majority of tunes in the major key, and many in the associated modes, can be played on a single row. Another technique I used to use on harmonica (which is equivalent to a single row of an Anglo) was to transpose a single phrase up or down an octave to make it fit. My question is "why?" If you play a single line of melody, you can play it more smoothly, often more quickly, and with easier fingering, with a couple of simple across the row techniques. Just one example that I use regularly: on a CG box, playing in C, I will often use the B (push, 2nd button right hand G row) in preference to the B (pull, 5th button, right hand C row) in a run of notes. If you play in a harmonic style, then crossing rows opens up richer accompaniment options. I can understand it as an exercise to develop technique, or even as an intellectual challenge, but I can see no musical advantage in playing along the row when there is a better option crossing the row.
  10. The C# is a very important note in D major. It is the one note that makes the difference between G major and D major. It is the leading note: a semitone below the tonic. It is the 3rd note of the dominant chord (A major). Because of its unique quality as the note that defines the difference between adjacent keys, it is particularly important in modulations. However, for dance music, rhythm is 90% of the battle, and you can sacrifice some subtlety of melody and harmony as long as you don't make the dancers fall over. In many cases, when a note is not available, choosing a note either a 3rd above or, less commonly, a 3rd below, will get you by.
  11. My journey was almost in the opposite direction. I started on the assumption that 30 buttons were "necessary". I then became intrigued by the challenge of getting good music out of a 20 button instrument. Trying to convert tunes from 30b to 20b introduced a number of problems that made me a more confident and skilled musician. That then fed back into my playing of the 30 button.
  12. The 20 button Anglo is an incredibly versatile instrument. There are hundreds of tunes you can play on it, and many of them can be played in 2 different keys. Of course, it is not as versatile as an instrument with more than 20 buttons. However, if you can learn a tune on the 20, you can always transfer that tune to a 30 or more button later. The basic 20 buttons is the heart of the Anglo system. Any more buttons after that are a bonus, There are several ways to play the Anglo, including, but not limited to: Single line of melody along the row. Just pick out a tune using the buttons on one row. Even within this style, there are many tunes that can be played either low down (mainly on the left hand) or high up (mainly on the right hand). Mainly on the right hand will give you more options for developing your style later. Starting in this style will give you the quickest introduction to making music. Look for simple tunes you can already whistle, such as When the Saints, Camptown Racetrack, Oh Susannah, Donkey Riding, Red River Valley. Single melody crossing the rows. On an Anglo, almost every note appears twice. By borrowing notes from the "other" row, you can often simplify the fingering. Later on, the ability to borrow notes across the rows will speed up your playing, make it smoother, and give you more options to develop accompaniments. Octaves. Whether you play along the row or across the rows, the simplest form of accompaniment is to play the same letter-name notes, an octave apart. For example, low C on the left hand, higher C on the right hand. It is rather clunky to play an entire tune in exact parallel octaves. However, you can emphasise the beat by playing the lower octave accompaniment mainly on the down beats. Harmonic style. With this style, you play the melody mainly on the right hand and add an accompaniment that may be one or more notes mainly on the left hand. This style requires some degree of musical knowledge or at least a good ear and intuition. Mainly, however, the Anglo is designed to be intuitive. The notes of each row are arranged more or less like a mouth organ. Instead of blowing and sucking, you push and pull. What you have is "2 mouth organs strapped together". Although it is capable of producing complex and sophisticated musical arrangements, it is also capable of being played "by ear". Don't try to run before you can walk. Practise a few minutes a day, every day. Build up a small repertoire of simple tunes to practise. Listen to what you are playing and try to get it to sound like music, rather than just a sequence of notes. Most of all, enjoy it. No one is testing or judging you. Free online sources include YouTube (to hear other people playing), thesession.org (for free sheet music and sound files of mainly Irish traditional tunes), and abcnotation dot com (for tunes in ABC notation, with pdf of conventional notation, and sound files).
  13. I am pretty sure it will be reed size. I asked if they could do it in GD and reed size was the reason given for why they couldn't. A traditionally built concertina has each reed in a narrow frame or "shoe" which takes up very little space. The Traveller has pairs of reeds mounted on oblong metal plates. No doubt this is quicker and cheaper to make (hence the very reasonable price) but the extra metal means they take up more space per reed on average. It's a lovely instrument, but made for a very specific and small market, so it makes sense to offer one reliable option. Marcus also make 30b instruments. I know of one person (a professional musician) who persuaded them to add a 31st button. When I bought my first Marcus, many years ago, I made the same request and got a very polite but firm, "You are not [name]."
  14. A C/C# melodeon is more like a Koch tuned chromatic harmonica than an Anglo. Different though processes. I used to play DG melodeon a bit until I got the Anglo. As soon as I started taking the Anglo seriously, the combination of similarities and differences was enough to confuse me and I stopped playing melodeon. I'm now a reasonably good Anglo player, but I literally can't get a tune out of a melodeon - even tunes I used to play. However, I suspect I would find the C/C# less confusing as it is so different from the Anglo.
  15. If an Anglo is GD, the equivalent 2 row melodeon is DG. On the Anglo, the row nearer to the hand is a 5th higher than the row further from the hand. On the 2 row melodeon, the row nearer to the hand is a 4th lower than the row further from the hand. The other difference, which is less obvious, is that most of the melody (right hand) on an Anglo is played on what would be the top half of a melodeon keyboard. Think of a melodeon cut in half. Aaaah.🤩 Now, think of the lower half of that keyboard being flipped round to be the left hand end of an Anglo. The top half of the keyboard stays where it was and becomes the right hand end of the Anglo. The push/pull relationship between the notes on each button is (more or less) reversed on the top end of the melodeon (where few melodeonists stray for long) and the right hand of the Anglo (where most Anglo players spend a lot of their time). I think these two factors (reversal of the DG or DG, and the top half/right hand thing) are linked.
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