Henk van Aalten
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Posts posted by Henk van Aalten
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I assume a person who plays the concertina is a concertinist?
Craig,
From a historical perspective, the word CONCERTINIST was already used in May 1891: http://www.maccann-duet.com/champion/index.htm
Looking geographically, the word is very often used "down under" by Richard Evans and even in the USA and Europe!
Henk -
Hi again,
Some extra thoughts on this subject. Maybe someone else has been doing what I suggested in my previous message. Because this subject is hardly concertina-related, I had a look at GOOGLE.
Some interesting results in the search, but I cannot find the time now to have a close look at the results.
Maybe someone else with more understanding of musical notation than I have??
Henk
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Jim (and all previous contributors)
Your Smarteye sounds very good! I myself downloaded a try-out version of Mozart and had some great fun with it. It is in many ways perfect, but I did not discover the possibility to import/export tiff or abc.
In this discussion thread a lot of software names are mentioned, but I have the impression that the functionalities are quite different, so (as we say in Holland) we are comparing apples with pears.
Maybe we should make a comparison with regard to price, user-interface, input and output of the software: tiff, abc, midi, etc. Make a nice table of it and publish it on this web site!
Henk
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Phate
This web site offers you a lot. Have a look at: the learning section of this site
and certainly to Absolute Beginner's Concertina: A new guide to playing the twenty key Anglo concertina
Have fun with your Stagi!
Henk
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Жим
Я не панимаю ваше вапрос!
Хенк
But if you ask whether I play concertina, the answer is yes. But I am not allowed to tell you anything about this URL!!
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Российский ...
Путеводитель по сетевым ресурсам о российских женщинах и женском движении в России.....
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Hi ye'all
Did you see this one?
http://www.contemplator.com/folk.html
There's some great stuff to be found!
Henk
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Joachim
To my opinion this is definitely a Chemnitzer Concertina. You will find a lot of information at:
http://www.chemnitz-concertina.de
The subtitle of the site is "Sehnsucht aus dem Blasbalg" (Melancholy from the bellows). This should make you very excited!
I am sure that in future I will hear the instrument and have the opportunity to play it.
Have fun!!!
Henk
(edited to upload the picture)
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Have a ball, guys. And let me know if someone mentions duet concertinas.
David
This sounds like duet concertina's are heaven as compared with the poor anglo's, struggling with the choice between Jeffries or Wheatstone button lay out.
Maybe you can start a topic: "Why duets are heaven"
Henk
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Pushers & Pullers
What are the specific advantages (or disadvantages) of the Jeffries and Wheatstone button lay out for 30b Anglo's?
The different lay out's are shown on the "Suttner - site":
Finally, when you play on more than one anglo, is it advisable to stick to the same button lay out??
thanks for your reactions
Henk
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I was trying to point out that different fingerings will be used on different layouts, which makes it difficult to record playing and giving advice unless you have the same system.
Sharon you are right for those tunes where the different lay-out really matters. A lot of (simple) tunes have the same fingering pattern on Wheatstone or Jeffries lay out.
I myself am used to the Wheatstone lay-out and when I tried last summer a concertina with Jeffries lay-out, it felt very confusing with the more complicated tunes.
I am in fact very curious about the specific advantages of both types of lay out. Maybe I start a new topic about this subject(?)
Henk
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How many buttons do you require your concertina to have to be able to play your particular genre of music?
For about 15 years I had great fun with 20 buttons, playing mainly Irish and regularly supported by a guitar... so there was no real need for chords on the tina.
Now I play a 30 button and sometimes "some chords" or second melody-lines are used.
Henk
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For instance my last concertina had 2 alternative push/pull C#. My new one only has 1 and is not the way round I am used to. I am having to re-learn the fingering necessary for the few tunes that I have. On the plus side I have another 2 alternative notes I didn't have before either, so I have to incorporate them too.
Sharron
As Joachim alreay suggests, you have two different button lay-outs with your two concertina's. Jurgen Suttner shows the two very clearly at his website:
Jeffries lay out (you can click an see fot yourself)
From your words I conclude that your new concertina has a Wheatstone lay-out and your last has (had?) a Jeffries lay-out.
Henk
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How about the rest of you? Would you seriously consider a concertina gathering in Hawaii? More seriously than in Fiji? I would, and I even suspect that there's a higher probability of discount air fares. Should I start another poll?
Jim,
I do not think another poll is necessary. Hawaii or Fiji is not so important. As long it is far away and an opportunity to play & have fun together it is OK with me.
BTW: Ireland is also a nice spot. Even without a B&B called MyIsland.
Henk
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Hi
Some warm fuzzies:
1. Last summer playing together with Joachim on a seaside hill on the Bask shore overlooking the ocean. A group of youngsters with surfboards passing by with thumbs up and a big smile.
2. Playing together with a friend who sings (very nice) and plays guitar. He very often surpises me with new songs that I never heard before. Most of the time I can easily pick up the melody (when he is singing in the right key), but very often somewhere in the melody he announces a musical part that I am supposed to play. In 99% of the cases I am too uncertain and as a result I am completely dissatisfied with my playing.
But there is this 1%!! My friend started singing a tune (in G) and the melody-line felt as if it has been living inside me. While playing I could hear in my head very nice variations and second melody lines. So as soon as he indacated that it was time for my instrumental part, I really could realize what I have heard inside. As a result I saw chicken skin coming in my friends arms!!!
Hoping for a lot more warm fuzzies!
Henk
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Jim
It's nice to see that you take this serious!
Henk
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My all time favourite is the jig "My darling asleep". It's the first tune that I could play on fiddle some 30 years ago (long before I discovered the concertina). At this moment I very much like "An Paistin Fion" as played by Mary McNamara of her "Blackberry Blossom" CD.
Henk
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For any budding anglo players who like irish, Mary Macnamaras two cds are the best - slow and steady, no ornaments and in sensible keys. I learnt a lot about playing across the rows by working through her tunes - they just automatically fit under the fingers! Quite a lot of her tunes are on the Tunatron.
I have the ABC to nearly all of them, and also the list of concertinas she played the Blackberry Blossom tunes on.
I listen to Noel Hills as well, but his dishearten you if you listen too close and try and analyse what he is doing.
I fully agree with Geoff! At this moment Blackberry Blossom is my real favourite. Mary McNamara's playing is really encouraging me to go to a next level of concertina playing.
I invite Geoff to communicate about the "the list of concertina's" she is playing at this CD.
Henk
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Due to the location of the International Date Line, the first inhabited place in the world to experience the new year is Fiji, in the South Pacific. Let's all meet there for the first ever South Pacific Squeeze In (or Concertinas at Fiji).
Jim
By suggesting this, I see you as the perfect candidate for the chairman of the "Concertina's at Fiji" working group!
Henk
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For what it's worth, I think the term "dulcimer" refers, musicologically, to the family of instruments that includes the hammered dulcimer. Except that in this country, as David says, the HD was in eclipse for decades and the term "dulcimer" just meant MD. They could both be called zithers, I think - "zither" is a rather broad term and perhaps not consistently applied, but it usually means a soundbox with strings on it, but no neck.
As far as I know the word dulcimer refers to the Italian word dulce, meaning soft. There is no historic relation between the hammered and the mountain dulcimer. You can read a lot more about it at: http://www.dakotacom.net/~daddario/dulcimerHistory.pdf
Henk
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O'Neill's has it listed as an "air", which basically means that it's the tune to a song. But depending on the style in which you play it, it could serve equally well as a polka or a reel. (And if you change the timing to a "bouncy", dotted rhythm, it could even serve as a hornpipe.) Many tunes can be played for different purposes by just changing the emphasis.
As far as I know the essential thing of an air is timing or even better the absence of timing (meaning without any strict rhythm). This makes airs (at least for me) difficult to reproduce by simple hearing. On the other hand, when you master the basics of an air it gives you a lot of space to make your own interpretation. Examples are: TÁIMSE 'IM CHODLADH, LAMENT FOR LIMERICK, THE IRISH BOY, HER MANTLE SO GREEN, etc.
On the other hand the tunes mentioned above are often called slow airs (but I never heard about fast airs!).
Henk
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Morgana,
This is a great idea! Maybe one of our more IT-litterate colleagues could give some instructions on what to have on-board on your computer.
Maybe Paul Schwartz (our highly regarded IT guru behind the scenes of this great site) has some ideas or suggestions for a virtual meeting place where we could join to play together and listen (and have a virtual beer?).
Playing "Auld Lang Syne" at New Year together with about 1000 concertina's from all over the world!! Just the thought of it
!!!Henk
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Recently I have bought a Jackie. It arrived about 24 hours after ordering, but I live in the Netherlands.
I have just put it on a kitchen-thing and it's weight is 1300 grams.
The sound is good. When I compare it with my Marcus Anglo, the Jackie sounds very "dry" (I do not know a better description for the sound).
Finally I have problems with playing the low notes. I have to bend my fingers very much to reach them. Maybe the straps should be placed more to the edge? I have normal hands, but they are used to play Anglo
Henk
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Congratulations Morgana!
Your message brings back memories of one year ago when I bought my Marcus in Ennis co. Clare. In a local shop there where about 6 or 7 different types of hand-made concertina's and I was allowed to try them all!
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However I am surprised at the lack of concertina activity here in Ireland (although that could be due to my lack of knowing where to look).
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Yes, I guess there are better places for concertina activity. I think co. Clare is such a better place.
enjouy your new instrument!
Henk
Claiming Our Place In The English Language
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
Those persons are BICONCERTINUOUS
Henk