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Simon H

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    Wheatstone Memorial 2010 Mornington Crescent Game

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Simon H

    Egad! Blindsided.

     

    I think I'd like to ask which progression you were using and whether you regard the move as above or below the diagonal, but my provisional judgement is that we probably have this year's winner.

     

    Chris

     

    Well as everyone knows the direct Northerly gets you double nidd. I actually used the 1971 Frimlington variation, as pioneered by that great player lost to the mists of time General Reginald Frimlington of the 12th Hussars. He pioneered the variation when retreating from enemy fire in Burma in '42. Of course he didn't end up in Mornington Crescent.

     

    EDIT: But I did !

    Are There Piano Accordion Forums?

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Forgive me, but why do people dig out 7 year old threads and reply to them? I can understand when a discussion covers ground that was well covered previously, a member might put a link to the old thread for the benefit of all to read. But when things just get randomly revived and comments posted to, I just don't get it. This seems to happen quite a lot here, I'll see a thread and think, "I didn't spot this one, looks like people have been having a good discussion" I'll backtrack through and follow it all, and then spot a five year old date....

     

    This isn't to say that old threads aren't interesting, but I'd prefer to go search rather than have them pop up in the middle of the current stuff. Perhaps the nmoderators could flag them ass "old thread revived" or move them into a sub heading or something.

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    "Englitina" - English Concertina for the iPhone/iPod Touch

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Simon H

    Apart from a couple of PM's to Michael I've not commented on Englitina yet, other than my suggestion to be able to play itunes in background. (Although I say it myself, that was a great suggestion, it has opened up the app for learning and practice for me.)

    I've had a few days messing with the app on and off and have got used to it much more for a couple of days I just found it difficult. Now I find it really quite good. I'm finding the E on the left hand a little difficult to trigger for some reason. Putting the iphone in a chunky silicone case makes it so much easier to hold, otherwise its very fiddly and there is no safe way to play it with just thumbs and pinkies supporting it. Ergonomically it is a little tough on the wrists. I intend to get a cheap case at the weekend and fabricate thumb loops and a finger support on the other side.

     

    This might seem a lot of effort for a silly iphone application. Here's my take on it. In the space of a few minutes you can hear a tune, download it off itunes stiore and be playing along to it after a fashion. And the great thing is, converting across to the real instrument is intuitive. You can do this anywhere, with headphones, and whilst not 100% "practice", it is enough for learning tunes. Played through an amplifier it sounds great.

     

    Michael is getting a lot of negative press for his apps over at the Session from people who cannot see the value of such a thing. I'd love to leap to his defense but I know I'd get cut to ribbons, so I thought I'd post here were there is at least a kindly tolerance to these sorts of things. Nobody is expecting iphones to be brought out in sessions (other than for a laugh), but from the comments on The Session you'd think this were a stab to the vitals of the tradition.

     

    Well done Michael- who would have thought 5 years ago that such a thing could even exist ?

    "Englitina" - English Concertina for the iPhone/iPod Touch

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Simon H

    Ok, now that I've fixed the edit box window issue, I'll start again:

     

    I've noticed a few music apps ie Thumbjam are able to background itunes in the app so you can play along to prerecorded stuff. They incorporate a balancing volume control that enable you to raise or lower your accompaniment to match the volume coming from the music player. This shouldn't be a big deal to implement. I've a load of music which I use to play along to with a real concertina. It would be great to play along to these tunes using the app.

    Final graphics for the "Concertina" iPhone/iPod Touch app

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    With all the work I've been putting into improving the C/G version, I've decided to change the price to $2.99 for new buyers (the other keys will all stay at $0.99). Anyone who already purchased it will continue to get all updates for free, of course.

    Michael, as a regular app user could I question your pricing policy and stategy for the apps.

     

    By creating all these concertinas as separate apps you are (I think) creating more work for yourself and missing sales. Also you are creating an update and administrative nightmare. I'd much rather see a single concertina app at a serious price like £4.99 where I could explore the different tunings and types of concertina all in the one app. That way you get a sensible return for your efforts, your market is not split into segments, you are only updating one app, and us users don't have separate concertina icons filling up our home screens. You can also update the pricing for the app as you add more features rather than creating different prices based on the update status of different versions.

     

    Simon

    Jerusalem

    in Tunes /Songs

    Posted · Edited by Simon H

    Does anyone have an arrangement of Jerusalem that would be good for the duet? I find myself playing my 2006 "Final Night of the Proms" youtube videos and really like that particular piece. Besides, wasn't there a thread earlier in the year about concertinas at the proms in 2010? laugh.gif

     

    I got interested and looked up some Youtube stuff with lyrics.

    Man, what an inciting song! What is the meaning of all this "building Jerusalen on England's hills" stuff? "His sword will not sleep in his arms"blink.gif Huh?

    The poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, travelled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury.Blake wrote the poem published in 1808 and refers to the legend by asking questions rather than stating it to be true. He says that there may, or may not, have been a divine visit, when there was briefly heaven in England. But that was then; now, he says, we are faced with the challenge of creating such a country once again.

     

    The music was written by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916.

     

    Edited out of Wikipedia for you.

     

    I guess this stirring sentiment has fallen out of favour in Britain of the 21st century, but when I was brought up in the late 50's and 60's Jerusalem was still seen as one of the most popular patriotic hymns, very popular in morning assembly in grammar schools all over the nation. The basic tune is very easy to play on EC, so ingrained to us Brits of a certain age it just falls to the fingers. I still find it stirring.

     

     

     

    Simon

    cleaning and tuning reeds

    in Instrument Construction & Repair

    Posted · Edited by Simon H

    However you do this, methodical is the key. Working sequntially by the button layout or by scale may impose an extra dimension to the process. By all means lay out your tuning sheets by scale or whatever, but better to work the reedpans sequentially one side at a time, one end at a time. If you do it by reedpan layout you will be working sequentially by the physical location of the reeds rather than chopping and changing and turning the reedpan over and over. Your tuning tables will provide you your reference. Remember to read each note you are going to tune inside the instrument and then tune the reed by difference from the measured note in the tuning assembly. So if the note you are tuning is 12 cents flat of D in the insrument, regardless of what it reads in the tuning assembly you need to sharpen it 12 cents. This may take it a long way from D in the rig but when it is assembled back in the instrument it should be close to right. I'd clean each reed as you come to it, as first part of its tuning process.

     

    Make up tuning sheets with actual, difference from in tune, actual in tuning rig, and target and final measured in rig and instrument. And be very very methodical. Work round them all, put together, remeasure and go back to start and retune those you didn't quite get.

    I use AP Tuner with a decent microphone on my Laptop PC with the mic on a little stand over the tuning rig. it has good display options so you can see the harmonics and variation of the notes.

     

    That's how I've done a few myself. I'm sure the real experts will have some great advice on the delicate matter of filing reeds.

     

    Simon

    Small recorder

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Olympus make a vast range of these all the way up to pro quality. A search ("Olympus voice recorder") on E-Bay will reveal a big choice. The Lidle one looks fine though it isn't bottom range price for such a thing. If all you want is to record tunes and playback etc, these are fine. I have a similar one in my bag. I use a Tascam DR1 for more serious recording.

     

    Simon

    Easy tunes we all know but never thought to play.

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    One of the great things of learning to play is suddenly realising you can play some tunes directly without needing to laboriously learn them. Tunes that you know so well that they just fall to your fingers when you pick up the instrument.

     

    I believe such tunes are great for getting out of a learning rut as the gratification is swift.

     

    I think it would be great to share some of these as sometimes it can be so hard to think of a new tune to play.

     

    So as a Christmas present to each other, lets share a few of those tunes we all know already but never thought to play. ABC's welcome, if not available - first couple of notes and key would be great. Or just the title.

     

    Here's my contribution to start us off.

     

    Camptown races Key D first notes A A A F# http://www.stephenfoster.info/abc/camptownraces.html?key=D&t=0

     

    Greensleeves Key G first notes E G A B http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/1598

     

    Looking forwards to playing your contributions

     

    Simon

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