Jody Kruskal

Hi Randy, For quick and dirty audio editing I use Audacity which is exclusive to iOS. Destructive editing only though. For PC, check out this link: 6 Best Audacity Alternatives for Android https://helpdeskgeek.com/reviews/6-best-audacity-alternatives-for-android/ For precision non-destructive editing and mixing I use Protools. I think they make it in PC. It costs $. Good luck

I visited the Deansboro, NY musical instrument museum twice. Amazing collection. I would guess that would be the collection Wunks is referring to. Read about it here. Update On Fate Of The Music Museum

Last night I played concertina with my Punjabi neighbor Abdul and his friends including the famous Salamat Ali & Azra Riaz. Look ‘em up on google. They are the real deal. Actual celebrities with numerous recordings available. They sing songs from Lahore, Pakistan and the Indian Bollywood classics and accompany themselves on harmonium and tabla. There were a dozen of us in Abdul’s music garage, just across from my back door, singing and clapping along to the music after our delicious Pakistani feast of nan, chicken spinach and spicy dal and gulab jamun. BTW, we ate with our fingers, soaking up the juices with nan and we left our shoes at the door. My neighbor Abdul and his music loving friends meet most Friday evenings for dinner and Ghazals, a Pakistani potluck and sing song. Mostly I just listen, but tonight I brought along my Ab/Eb in order to play with them in Rag Khamaj in the key of black 2 (Mixolydian in Eb). Salamat Ali Kahan himself insisted that I play along and we had a great time. He gave me a short lesson in vocal technique and it could have gone on longer for all of me, but after all... it was a party and we had to cut the lesson short. I have much to learn about this rich musical tradition. Such fun, trying to follow the tempo and time changes of the tabla player! My Pakistani friends were super encouraging and welcoming. Concertina is not a traditional instrument for this genre, but everyone agreed that it sounds so good. Brooklyn is a fine multi-cultural place to live and I am a a new convert to the popular songs of Lahore.

I just got back from the Fiddlin’ Bear - Lake Genero Old-Time festival. http://www.sacrasoft.com/Genero/ What fun we all had... just like the before times. This music gathering in Pennsylvania has been going on for quite awhile, but I started going in 2010. That was back when I first started playing Old-Time music on the Anglo concertina as a serious avocation. Since the covid pandemic shut everything down, this was the first big players festival I’ve attended (proof of vaccination required). It was great to play again with my old friends and make some new ones. The setting is beautiful. 150 musicians camping by a small lake in the woods. No stage, no headliners, no workshops or concerts. We just informally play tunes together in small groups all day and late into the night. It’s a big party. What I like is to hop from session to session and play with a variety of amazing musicians. I never saw a piece of sheet music the whole three days. It’s all done by ear. Half of the tunes that I played this weekend I learned on the spot, having never heard them before. Picking up tunes on the fly is a knack that can be learned. For those that don’t know, Old-Time music (in this context) is mostly an American Southern fiddle tunes tradition with guitar and banjo backup. It’s not Bluegrass, though we do share some tunes in common. It’s not Country, though some of us do sing old Country songs. The core of the repertoire are great tunes that have been passed down from a few dozen great fiddlers, living and dead. Many of the tunes have been learned from old 78’s that were recorded in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Back then, folks called it Hillbilly music. So when I take out the Anglo concertina at Lake Genero, I run the risk of upsetting some purists. At this point though, most of them have gotten used to me and I have learned how to play concertina without making folks unhappy. I’ve learned the genre. This year, I was not the only concertina player there. English player Rachel Hall made a surprise appearance. What fun to play again with her and her Philly friends!

The dog days of summer are here and I'm panting hard with my tongue lolling out and mop in hand.

Extreme weather here in Brooklyn tonight. High winds and heavy rain all at once. The aftermath of hurricane Ida has left my basement flooded a few inches in the low spots. Lots of mopping to do. Still planning to attend Lake Genero Old-Time Festival this weekend and next weekend... The New England Squeeze-In. Yay!

I've had the same problem, but I used a block of thick leather, thinking that it would be more gentle on the bellows. Works fine.

Tumbling tubes in Brooklyn, a musical walking meditation. Best to listen using large speakers or headphones to hear the low tones. The Gravity Pipes is a parade of chance events that results in unpredictable melodic phrases, all in a low register. Large diameter PVC tubes as long as 11 feet, rise up to the sky and dramatically fall, bouncing to create deep and satisfying resonances. Play along on your box in G.

I got quite a few responses in messages and thank you all for your help. After considering a new Wolverton or Morse, and several Jefferies 38 button instruments that I lust after... I have decided on a used Edgley 30 button hybrid from a friend. The Jefferies instruments would have been nice, but they just cost too much considering the limited use for this odd key. Now that I have had a chance to play my Ab/Eb Edgley I'm glad I got it. So much fun to play with my Pakistani friends who favor the flat keys for their raags.

Silly arrangement, but splendid playing.

I'm looking to buy an Ab/Eb Anglo. Got one? Know someone who does?

I use the Flipside 300 by Lowepro for touring with two concertinas. It's a durable thick walled backpack with lots of foam pad internal blocking options that are adjustable using velcro, so you can configure the inside anyway you want without committing yourself. Very light and easy to carry, yet sturdy enough for delicate photographic equipment (for which it's made) or squeeze-boxes. Fits two concertinas with secure padding between and a bit of room for extras, small storage pocket and water bottle holder. It has a bunch of external hooks and loops, so that I can attach a folding chair which is very handy as a hands free ride for my boxes + seat at festivals and travel. I've tried a number of clumsy cases, but I always come back to this one because it works so well. 15 years of touring abuse later, it's getting a bit frayed around the edges but still works as good as new. https://www.amazon.com/Lowepro-Flipside-DSLR-Camera-Backpack/dp/B000YA33DC/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=Flipside+300+lowepro&qid=1620187324&sr=8-6

Thanks Jim. Yes, I've come to enjoy exploring just how slow a tune can go.

https://soundcloud.com/parallel_play2020/sweet-marie Sweet Marie is featured as the latest tune from Parallel Play, my ongoing duet project with autoharpist Cindy Harris. Even though we live 380 miles away from each other, we have been playing nightly using the miraculous JamKazam platform. JamKazam makes it possible for us to play live and also record high quality audio of our performance. We then mix those files the same way we would normally do, after a face to face studio recording session. I think that this delightfully crooked tune got its start as a popular song from 1893. Old-time fiddlers (as they do) adopted it as their own and there are several variations going around. Here is the sheet music transcribed from a session at Mt. Airy in 2012 played by Bruce Green and friends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpsNW2OjFHU Sweet Marie dots.pdf Aside from “Sweet Marie” you can also hear our other recordings on SoundCloud: A Beauty Tom Kruskal’s Niely Cleere’s Polka Springfield Salmon Tails Up the River Grand Picnic

I wrote this beautiful waltz back in 2009. Somehow, it got lost in the shuffle and was never performed... until now. “A Beauty” is featured as the latest tune from Parallel Play, my ongoing duet project with autoharpist Cindy Harris. Even though we live 380 miles away from each other, we have been playing nightly using the miraculous JamKazam platform. JamKazam makes it possible for us to play live and also record high quality audio of our performance. We then mix those files the same way we would normally do, after a face to face studio recording session. Here is the sheet music: A Beauty Waltz copy.pdf Aside from “A Beauty” you can also hear our other recordings on SoundCloud: Tom Kruskal’s Niely Cleere’s Polka Springfield Salmon Tails Up the River Grand Picnic