Henk van Aalten
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Posts posted by Henk van Aalten
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Many of you would enjoy having a go at this tune including me,when I am not so busy.
Al
Al
It's all a question of choices, you can make time to give it a try. On the other hand I guess we all like your priorities and the results of your "busy-ness"
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Any comments welcome!
My compliments Jeff! Great playing and a very nice tune. Will this be your first version of it, or is it already ready for the links page?
Second question: can you post the score or (even better) the ABC code?
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The one question I have is.. does anyone have any opinions on the differences between the Suttner A2 versus the A3. I know the A2 means a parallel reed pan and the A3 means a radial pan. I have plenty experience with parallel reed pans being that my Kensington, Marcus and Edgley are set up that way. Does the A3 offer any particular advantages in tone action or response?
Bill
Read what Wim Wakker writes about reed pans on this page:
We offer a choice of two reed pan designs: Radial, as found in Wheatstone and Lachenal concertinas, and parallel, as used by Jeffries. The tonal differences are subtle. The radial design tends to sound "warmer" or "rounder" whereas the parallel design is a little more "direct" with a little "bite".The important question for you is: "How should my new concertina sound". Should it be (extrovert) bright and loud or more introvert mellow. Should it be "wet" or "dry as a bone". Etc. etc.
Communicate about this with Juergen Suttner and he should be able to advise you. He even might do something extra (choice of materials, etc.) to meet your demands.
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I can use several fingers at once on the concertina, but only one on the typewriter keyboard.
Try some chords on the typewriter keyboard! This gives fantastic results
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Finally I have recorded and submitted a tune. It's a Russian tune, which was called "Forgotten" by Henk, because it reminds him of his trip to Russia. Well, "Forgotten" that is then.
Thanks Michael for your tune. It sounds so very Russian to my ears and yes.. when hearing this melody I remember my trips in a Russian car driving from Moscow to Wladimir.
I regards this tune as a special gift
Thank again and very well played on your customized Anglo!!
B.T.W.: this one is already on the tunes page.
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Hello Henk
That is a great concertina for someone ready to move up and really have a good instrument. I had one just like it.
Your samples sound very nice too.
I love that leather case. Where would one find one of those?
Thanks.
Richard
Thanks for your kind words Richard.
The leather case was custom made and cannot be bought in a shop.
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My last day here.
Off into a wild world.
Wish me luck too.
Michael,
I wish you all the luck in the world. I hope you have a new (and better) job
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Theory from husband is that the word could have come from the Latin/Greek work oidema which is to swell! Oh well he thought that it could have musical connotations. As I don't know if the odeophone has a specific sound I really could not comment.
May I conclude that an Edeophone is more or less like "Concertinus Erectus"
Is that the reason for your typo "odeophone"
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Oops! I didn't mean "here" as in C-Net, I meant "here" as in the town I live in.
Sometimes net life and real life get a little confuzzled...
Rhomylly,
Your "here" is definitely my "here" (=the town/belt where you live)
My remark about the burning of concertinas refers to the recent burning of flags (starting with the Danish flag)
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Rhomylly
I am not in the postion to give you an answer to your question, but it's my own experience that I am glad to use my Jackie for the "upgrade program" of the Concertina Connection.
I own my Jackie since September 2003 and I seriously tried...... to come to the conclusion that this is not my instrument
.However there are other C.Netters who have no problem at all with changing between EC and Anglo.
I sincerely hope that you are one of them
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Henk, I have no idea what that's based on, other than his own rabid beliefs, which unfortunately are shared by many many people around here.
This is not the place to start a discussion on religion. Before you know some fundamentalists are going to burn concertinas
Everyone knows that concertina-playing Buddhists are just playing the Devil's music!!!Everyone must be very happy over there, knowing that you should live according to simple rules like that
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I'm actually a bit annoyed. Guess I don't like being told I'm going to hell first thing in the morning...
Rhomylly,
On behalf of the C.Net community, I dare say that you are not going to hell
This is based on the fact that the C.Net community is a bunch of friendly, nice people
“Buddhism is false doctrine that will lead all Buddhists to hell,” said Pastor Peter Aulson of the Potter’s House Christian Center in Clovis.This is based on.. what????
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Did he say whether he was producing his own reeds?
From his web site (and you need to click on Wakker Anglos): "We make our own reeds, using the latest computerized machines. This enables us to optimize the design and fit of our frames and tongues, allowing extreme close fits with a maximum deviation of 0.01mm/0.003 inch." And among the photos is a nice one of some reeds.
Thanks Jim for answering this question
I can only add that Wim knows a lot of the technical properties and behaviour of the reed material. I have the impression that he has a relative vast network of high quality suppliers.
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Henk, you mentioned that Wim said the sound spectrum was close to that of an oboe. Is there a tone comparison you can make, such as to another maker? I havent seen any sound files for the Wakker, only the Geuns-Wakker
Christopher,
As already (more or less) stated in a previous post, I cannot make a comparison. I'm not sure if this oboe-like spectrum is true for all variants of the new Wakker concertina. I can imagine that a flat matel-ended with a Jeffries reedpan lay-out will sound quite different from a raised hardwood with a Weatstone reedpan.
In fact Wim writes about these differences on the Concertina Connection web site.
One might expect that there will be sound files on the CC web site in due time.
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My best instruments were the ones I paid least for. I got my German fiddle for free (!!), a great fiddle, and now my concertina that I paid 800 SEK for.........
I like that.You Lucky Ennistraveler!! Once more Congratulations
Do you take orders for some instruments?? I'll except long waiting times
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Just to let you now that I have added three more samples to the "for sale" page.
Of course (as usual) I could do better
, but in the first place they are there as sound samples for my Geuns-Wakker. -
Did I play that loud last SundayThanks for the review, the instrument sounds great...
Why not contact Wim? Maybe it is possible to order one for next year or later.In fact I wish I could afford one at this moment time. Doubtless by the time I am able to afford one there will be a waiting list for it... sigh.
On the W-A1 page is written "raised hard wood ends, black", but a bit lower it is suggested that raised ebony end are also possible. I remember that this topic was shortly discussed. Ebony seems to be much more vulnerable (cracking)1. Those raised ends in the picture... They are made of wood?
I heard that the Irish do not like raised ends and they prefer the conventional hand-strap configuration.2. Can you tell us more about the Irish Model?
I never played a Suttner and played a Dipper twice, so I cannot compare from own experience. I am convinced however that Wim's approach, based on proven concepts, his knowledge about sound, materials, etc and his high-tec production techniques, should result in a concertina that easily can be compared with a Dipper or a Suttner.3. Do you think this concertina matches or exceeds the high standards that have been established by Suttner and Dipper? -
Because I would like to upgrade, I'll have to sell my amboyna ended Geuns-Wakker C/G.
Tut! Tut!
Henk, You should have stayed at home last sunday. Now you've been bitten
Well Gerry.. I have my weak moments
But.. do'nt we all have a weak spot for a beautiful concertina??
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Because I would like to upgrade, I'll have to sell my amboyna ended Geuns-Wakker C/G. It is in good playing condition (5-6 years old).
More information can be found at this page. I have set up the page late yesterday evening, so some details might be missing. The soundfiles were made in a hurry, but are good enough to demostrate the sound of this instrument.
As far as I know it is in Jeffries lay-out, but there might be small deviations. On one of the sound files I play the complete accidental row, so comments are welcome.
Buyer pays for insurance and transportation. Your bid should be in reasonble relation to the new price (see page)
Contact me via PM or e-mail via this forum.
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I am thinking about trading in my piano accordion as I am beginning to find it too heavy to carry round. However I am wondering about learning to play the concertina instead (considering the Lachenal 48 treble English) as this seems most suitable for my needs. Is there anywhere on the web where I can listen to one of these being played?
Ann
Welcome Ann to this forum. For listening to concertina sound files, you could try the Recorded Tunes Link Page
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Also, if you use "Preview Post" and then see something you want to change, you need to use your browser's "Back" button to get back to input/edit mode. Though a similar "input" window appears while you're previewing, changes made there seem to be ignored.
Jim
I never use the "back" button to go from preview mode back to edit mode. When I am in preview mode, I just scroll down to arrive back at the edit situation. I never had problem with this procedure.
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Managed to sort it out - don't know what I did wrong on the first two - but thanks to everyone for trying to help.
Galley,
You could edit your previous "useless" replies and delete all text. Unfortunately you cannot delete the complete message.
keep finding things that I did not know were there - could spend hours reading some of the stuff ..............if only work didn't keep getting in the way!Yes, work can be a nasty thing, when you are involved in (obsessed with) concertinas. If only Eva did not eat the apple, we all could be playing concertina all day
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Henk,
Just curious, what are your overall impressions of the W-A1? And how does it stack up to its direct competitors?
Bill you can find my impressions in this topic.
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After some contacts via mail and phone, I was invited by Wim Wakker to come and try a W-A1 C/G Anglo. So last Sunday I drove to Wim's place, which takes a bit more than 1 hour (yes, I'm lucky with such a short distance!).
Very soon after my arrival Wim showed a W-A1 Anglo that was almost ready for sending. It was a black one (french polished) with (semi-)raised ends, almost identical to the one shown on the Concertina Connection website.
And yes.. it is a real beauty! As I do not like fancy papers etc., this concertina is really to my taste: simple and beautiful. Every detail shows craftsmanship. This is true for the outside as well as the inside. The French polished raised black ends are splendid and the way the handstraps are attached to the wooden support looks very elegant.
The inside (this one had a radial reedpan) looked very professional. Wim told me all about the reeds and the frames. The fact that he uses 16 different reed/frame sizes instead of 14 or 12, means that every reed/frame combination is closer to the optimal dimensions with respect to balance and response.
Now the playing: for me this concertina feels very similar to my Marcus as far as the position of the handstraps and buttons concerns. Although this concertina was very new (Wim had to do a last fine-tuning) it felt very responsive and balanced. No domination of the low range or mid range notes over the high notes. From the playing position the sound is very "dry" and approaches the sound of Uillean Pipes. Wim said that the measured sound-spectrum is very much like the sound-spectrum of an oboe.
According to Wim this sound spectrum is influenced by the shape of the space between the action board and frontplate (inner reflections) as well the type of fretwork and the shape of the frontplate (raised / non-raised). On top of that, the type of reedpan and the materials used (several types of wood / metal) influence the sound. The inner reflections can also be influenced by roughening or coating the wooden parts. Finally the position of the slight bend in the reed influences the sound spectrum. I might have forgotten some, but there is a confusing amount of possibilites to influence the sound before it leaves the frontplate.
Without realising (at least from my side) we had spend 2 hours talking and playing and in between Wim showed me the beautiful front-end of an Amboyna flat end concertina.
After saying goodbye, I had one hour in the car to think things over and came to the following conclusions:
- Wim Wakker combines proven concepts with his impressive knowledge, using the latest technologies
- He is a real gentleman, very willing to talk about building and playing the concertina
- Without been played-in, his W-A1 feels and sounds great. After playing in it very well could become a concertina beyond compare.
There is a lot more that Wim told me (a.o. new developments to be expected this year, about the Irish model, etc.), but I think the length of this message should stay within reasonable limits
.Thanks again to Wim for his hospitality and sharing his knowledge and enthousiasm for this wonderful instrument.
B.T.W.: I am no shareholder of the Concertina Connection, but just fell in love with the W-A1
- Wim Wakker combines proven concepts with his impressive knowledge, using the latest technologies
Stretching The Limits
in Tunes /Songs
Posted · Edited by Henk van Aalten
Michael
As I saw that your original WMF file was at 20Kbps, so I wonder if your configuration of Audacity is optimal.
After opening Audacity, first click in the top menu bar on edit and from the pull down menu on preferences. The Audicity Preferences Menu will open. Click on the File Formats tab and set the Bit rate in the MP3 export section at an acceptable level 56 Kbps or higher. Then click the OK button to confirm your choice.
After recording (or importing an existing recoding) and editing you can Export as MP3 or Export selection as MP3. In that case you will end up with an sound file with reasonable to good quality in the right format (MP3).
I wish you success with these technical items and I look forward to your next tunes!!
edited to change file into edit