nils

I use 3 mics on one stand - one for singing/announcing, 2 mounted on a cross bar for the concertinas. In Germany those bars are made by K&M (König & Meyer) This system is usefull when you use different concertinas. My mics are cheap SM 57, but I`ve used AKG goosenecks this way as well. An advantage compared to microvox is that you get less of the click-noise of the buttons. Nils

John, if your main interest is not a "How to play Anglo" workshop you would fit into the English class very well. We do exactly what you are looking for. In fact there are some more Anglo players who would be interested in other Anglo styles. Most years there have been English Concertinas in the Irish workshops. I believe the workshops are as much about the music as about a concertina system. The teachers in Bielefeld never minded this mixture. German Concertina: It's the two row double reed concertina with long bellows made in Italy, Saxony or China. Sometimes the German Three Row (Chemnitzer) or the Bandonion are played as well in this class. Nils

And a fourth way - I have got a brass Wheatstone that I lend to people who want to try out a concertina and decide later what they are going to buy. Most players have got an instrument like that on the shelf. Maybe there is someone in Scotland? Nils

You can enroll for the reduced fee till Friday. Nils

Some more informations: This weekend is running for the 17th time organised by Mario Kliemann. There is always a first class irish anglo teacher, this year it is Ernestine Healy. She runs two courses, beginners and advanced. Usually there are about 15 anglo players. English concertina is taught by Rainer Süßmilch. Rainer is an actor and one of the few professional players. He uses the concertina on the stages of main theaters in Zürich, Wien, Hamburg and now Frankfurt to perform live for plays. Much of the music is composed by himself. He sings and plays trumpet as well. Most years there are 10 to 12 english concertina players. Jürgen Leo has been touring with the well known group "Liederjan" . He plays two row concertina and bandonion. His approach to the two row is surprising, because he has technics to play almost anything on it. (And I think thats what he will be teaching.) This class is allways small, about five players. I try to give the english beginners what they need (which might differ a lot from player to player). I use slower tunes (not irish) from England and France and will introduce to use harmonies and bass-line to support the rythm (for advanced beginners). All in all there are about 35 players from all over Germany. We are glad if international guests find there way to the weekend a few managed to come over the years. The location is a farm (yes, you can milk a cow if you like), plain but nice. Nils

This is the flyer for the Bielefeld Concertinatreffen. It is in german, if you want it translated or need further informations contact me, please. There is a reduced fee if you enroll before the end of february. Nils German_Concertina_Weekend_2008_Flyer.pdf

I just realised you are in the Netherlands. If you came to the Bielefeld Concertinatreffen in april you could listen to and try out several Baritones. (And even a chromatic bandonion like the Geuns if you inform me that you will come.) Nils

Hello Lars, there are some players in Berlin (English and Anglo) that could help you. And maybe an old Lachenal English would be a choice. They are not expensive and give you much more value than a chinese concertina. Just contact me if you want more informations. Nils

Yes. I could take a photo if it helps. Nils

Aeola 28317 Nils

Hello Christian, I would be glad to meet you at Proitze! I`m planing to teach some french tunes in the "English for beginners" workshop with the focus on how to make tunes sound good on our instrument. For the advanced english players I would like to show and discuss my idea of "melody plus bassline". (After talking to Chris and other Anglo players at Arran I thought a lot about how to make the English Concertina sound "bouncy"). Allthough the event is "irish" and anybody interested in ITM will get all he wants, I believe the English players will concentrate on other stiles. Nils

Up.

We will have a squeeze-in type meeting of concertina players at the Proitzer Mühle (Northern Germany) on the last weekend of september. At the same time there will be workshops held by Jens Kommnick, Angelika Berns and Siobhan Kennedy (Iontach) at the same location so good sessions are guaranteed. The flyer is in german, if you want informations in english contact me, please. The Proitzer Mühle can be reached easily by train from Hamburg or Berlin (or Lübeck /RyanAir). Nilsconcherbst_web.doc

TG4 2/11/2006 Ceol Cartlann Kilfenora Ceili Band with Tim on Concertina. Nils

Hi Nick, the vals is a real finger twister! I find the mesures where melody and chords are stretched over 2 oktaves and have to be played on the same side quite challenging. If you are looking for more music like that try to get hold of a copy of "Dancing with my Baby" . Nils

I just saw that someone is selling an unplayed album of Martyn Bradley on ebay. I bought it 25 years ago and I'm still thinking that he is one of the best english concertina players I've heard. Is he still playing concertina? Maybe the ICA should buy items like this for the archive. Alan, it would be nice if Martyn was included in English International. Nils

Theo, there are some players in Germany who are working on similar ideas (they play mainly the 20 button german concertina, but anglo, bandonion or 3 row concertina as well). Personally I know Jürgen Leo and Rainer Schwarz, Rainer Prüss is also well known. Nils

Klaus: "Waschleinensystem" because all the notes were on one line giving only the duration, the note itselve was indicated by a number. Nils

You are right, the voicing is the main difference, but there are other features in most bandonions made for the german market that make them sound different. You have to try them out. Nils

Scott, you could contact the list member bandoneon-maker (Harry Geuns) who can certainly help you. German Bandoneons: Most bandoneons you get in Germany are not sounding quite like the ones made for the south american market. For tango the 142 lay out is nearly a must, only some of the older models with less buttons have the same sound. Avoid 144 and 128 models, they were made for german music. There are some other restorers and makers in Germany you could contact like Uwe Hartenhauer or Rocco Boness. Nils

48 double action Bass? Great for lots of things, I'd like to have one. Nils

About ten years ago I had a Jeffries(Brothers) Crane. Nils

I've got one of those, great concertinas! Bright and fast. But this one can have lots of surprises inside and most certainly is in old pitch. Nils

Nice example: 30 Years, klezmer on concertina. (free mp3 downloads.) Nils

To make my idea for this thread a bit clearer: There are lots of good things happening around anglo concertinas (recordings, new makers etc.) What can we english players do for our instrument? For example: Why are all the old recordings of Alf Edwards and Alistair Anderson not accessible for someone who is not collecting records for more than 30 years? Can we do anything about it? Alan's Tutor, a good example! Who could write tutors for "folk" english, "jazz" english, the best tutors I know are 30 and 50 years old and out of print. (I don't know Wim's and Pauline's tutors, they might fill the gap. Concertina Accademy is a great idea!) I'm not frustrated with the concertina, just the opposite! And I thought concertina.net could be the place to breed new ideas. Nils