Henk van Aalten
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Posts posted by Henk van Aalten
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Hello there!
After a few years of thinking about it, I today finally got a concertina connection Jackie!
Suprisingly, I found a Finnish vendor for it, who said they sell maybe one or two of them
per year. There's no shortage of accordionists in Finland, but the concertina is pretty much
unknown here, although I have got in contact with someone who can give me lessons on it.
My musical background is the of usual piano-lessons as a kid -variety: I can still more or less
read sheet music and play a little on piano, so atleast I'm not starting from ground zero on music.
The cats have given their approval of the instrument by almost pushing it off the kitchen table,
so I guess I'll have to start learning it now.
Mikko
Hello Mikko
Welcome to this forum! I hope you will have much pleasure with your Jackie.
Keep us updated
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jig.mp3
Sorry for the pooh playing.
Sounds like Dingle Regatta.
see attached file: Dingle_Regatta.pdf
and hear this poor sound file: dingle_regatta.mp3
Edited to add the mp3 file. I tried to upload a midi file, but this seems forbidden by the system, so I had to convert the original midi file 3kb to a poor mp3 file of 140kb. I could have renamed the original midi file, but that feels more or less like cheatin'
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Thanks, Henk. I thought there was something complicated about this, but I see that I'm already on the right path. I've been totally self taught and logic has been my guide for fingering. This eases my mind about going to the school. I appreciate your help. If I find the time, I'll try to write out a tune that I play and post it in like manner for your comparison.
Hi Gary,
I'm glad it was helpful for you, but take in mind that I gave you just an example of cross row playing. It demonstrates the general idea of using all the rows to play a tune. Noel Hill is (as far as I know) using the same general idea, but has developed his own specific way (or even system) of cross row playing.
Have fun!
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The cross row fingering that Noel Hill teaches is mentioned over and over here on the board. Can anyone explain this technique?
Hi Gary
Just as an example... I have visualized two "fingerpaths" for the slip jig "To Limerick We Go". One is mainly on the home row (G row) and the other is cross row with the intention to reduce the change in bellow direction as much as possible. It's just an illustration and I hope it helps to get an idea of "home row" fingering versus "cross row".
Just look at/listen to the attachments
Have fun!
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"Na Ceannabháin Bhána" means 'The Fairhaired Cannavans' Seamus Ennis collected the melody as a song from a woman in Connemara who used nonsense words to it while dandling two children, Mici and Maire, she was looking after. Their surname was Cannavan. Ennis played it as a Slip Jig and sometimes sang the song as an introduction.
Thanks Peter for your answer. I notice a strong resemblance with the swaggering jig but I understand (from thesession.org) that they are two different tunes.
Another question.. what kind of concertina is Kitty playing? Is it a G/D or a C/G?
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I have put the first of the resulting clips on youtube, more to follow over the next couple of days.
Great stuff Peter. Thanks a lot!
BTW: the title of the first tune "Na Ceannabháin Bhána".. What is the translation of the title in English (or even better Dutch
)Looking out for more!!
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Thanks. So rubbing a gusset is a bad thing, right?maybe not in the privacy of your own home
For me (with Dutch as my native language) this sounds like some secret !!!
At the same time it could be the title of some haunting slip jig:
Rub the Gusset!
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Nice...very nice indeed and Dominique proclaimed it a wonderful evening which she later said had some profound musical moments.
It ended all too soon. To bed very happy and just a wee bit sloshed 
.Lucky Mark,
Great story! Many happy returns of wonderful evenings and profound musical moments.
Happy Newyear to all you C.Netters
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Note, however, that this is not quite the same version of the tune as played in the clip. Several subtle differences, the most significant of which is that the YouTube player (Chris? Mark?) plays no C#s. Most of the notes Henk notates as C# come out as C naturals, and some as B naturals. I don't know the tune (never heard it before just now), so I can't say with any authority whether one version is "more correct" than the other.
Thanks for your reply/comment David. I noticed the differences in the way Chris/Mark is playing. I never heard these variants on the Garden of Daisies before.
A very nice video (with dancing) is shown
.You can also check the version at thesessiun.org.
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I'd love to learn the tune that Mark is playing in this clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0c4zZ_CHHM Can anyone help out with that?
Thanks,
Molly
Hi Molly
It's "the garden of daisies", a set dance. See the attached zip file in which the score, a midi and a txt/abc files.
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For some reason my non-technical mind can't decipher what's what.
I'd love to have something small that can fit in my concertina case andhas excellent sound quality.
It would also be great to be able to load it into my computer and use one of the slowdown (speedup?) programs that are availabale for free on the web.
Is MP3 the way to go?
Hi Perry,
When you are looking for high quality sound recording, you have (as far as I know) the choice between:
- The Edirol stuff
- Zoom H4 or the Zoom H2 stuff
All the mini-disk and related stuff are (more or less) outdated....
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Dear Tamborileru
Welcome to this forum!
How there was a only one concertina, I must not choose, but I am happy for this.What a beautiful instrument!
You may have only one concertina to choose from, but you have the nicest and most joyfull plaza mayor of the world. I've been there (in Salamanca) several times and enjoyed the plaza mayor till late (after midnight).
I will be there next spring.. so maybe we might meet!
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...I intend buying an Anglo Concertina......
Jock,
Welcome to this forum! I just have sent you an e-mail...
You can contant me via PM (or tel. 3120256) and you could consider to join the Arran Concertina Event... I will be there and I know it is great fun!
Henk
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Given a new concertina with real leather on the bellows, how important is it to keep it closed up tight in its hard-shell case when not in use?
I learned from Wim Wakker to keep it "out of the box" as much as possible, so I only use the case for transporting my concertina.
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6. Scroll down the directions to number 22.
I have my doubts about those 3,462 minutes
. The last time it took me more than 4,000 
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Oh, I could weep. In fact, I think I will.
Chris
C'mon Chris.. Life is not that bad.. Next time we meet I'll buy you a "Duvel"
Chris (still a bit red-eyed).O.K. Chris.... A double "Duvel"
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For those with Google Earth on board, just download the attached "Torna-H.txt" attachment to your PC. Rename "Torna-H.txt" into "Torna-H.kmz" and run this file / (double)click on it.
This procedure is a bit complicated, because the forum software does not allow files with the .kmz extension.
For those without Google Earth, I've attached a screen-shot. It brings back good memories!
Nice work Jim. The website is a big improvement!
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Have a wedding gig coming up and we have to do something for the processional that isn't "Here Comes the Bride."
It'll be just concertina and fiddle.
I was thinking something O'Carolanish, but I'm wondering if there's anything that works particularly well in this setting.
How about "Give me your hand"??. This one is not by O'Carolan but by Rory Dall O'Cathain, another Irish harper who spent the biggest part of his life (c. 1570 - c. 1650) in Scotland. It combines very nice with O'Carolan's "Planxty Fanny Power" (Noel Hill plays this combination on Anglo International).
Another O'Carolan tune that might sound very nice is "Henry McDermott Roe". I recently recorded this lovely tune.
Attached is the relevant material.
Give_Me_Your_Hand.pdfHenry_McDermott_Roe.pdfPlanxty_Fanny_Power.pdf
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My gut feeling is that CADB would be useful for recording exactly how a piece is played and for passing that information on to another player. as it contain full information not only of the fingering but the bellows direction for each note. Jody's system seems more useful as an aide-memoire for one's own playing, as it is less detailed, but has the huge advantage of being more intuitive.
Of course any tablature system for anglo is handicapped by the variations in button layouts between individual instruments!
For more information on the CADB system see here:
Howard
Inspired on the French system for melodeon tablature, I use(d) a tablature for "standard" C/G Anglo (with wheatstone lay-out). It is indeed great to show different fingering-systems (see attachment).
It might alseo be usefull for beginning players that are not (yet) familiar with musical notation.
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A few groups are not yet represented... Women, Irish, .......
A lot photographs of Irish women can be found in the nice collection of Peter Laban at this very website at:
http://www.concertina.net/peter_laban_photos.html and
http://www.concertina.net/peter_laban_photos2.html
Maybe not exactly what you are looking for but anyway a very nice collection!
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is a video of me playing Rosline Castle. As you might guess (or, if you've ever seen me play, know!), there isn't much action there, but I hope it's a little bit interesting, and maybe some other people will upload something!
From the moment I saw/heard this tune, I was completely catched by the tune and the way you play it Danny. So I learned this tune on my Anglo, just using adjacent buttons for harmonies/chords and as soon as I mastered it, I did not listen anymore to your version, because it's another (better) player on another instrument. As a result it became quite different..
But... I played this tune at some sessions and I was completely surprised by the effect of the tune on the audiance. Very soon after starting the tune, the talking and the rumour stops and the crowded pub is completely silent. It gives you wings, but makes you nervous at the same time... No one of the other musicians is playing with you and everyone is listening.. At the end however there is much appreciation and people ask about the tune etc.
So, I made this simple recording, using a notebook, a 5$ microphone and audacity without further editing. I played it in a small hall on my Wakker WA-1 30b C/G.
So Danny.. thanks for sharing Roslyn Castle!
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Completely off topic:
Henk, whats that box in your member picture?
When you mean my avatar, it is a concertina toy. Description can be found at this website. When you mean the photo on my personal page....
It is a Hohner D40 (20 button C/G Anglo).
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Just to let you know that I updated the links page. Unfortunately I've found some broken links. I'm contacting the owners of the sound-files to find out what happened.
Slower Downer
in Teaching and Learning
Posted
Even the simple Windows Media Player (on board of most PC's) can slow down (to 0.5) and speed up (to 2.0)