doggyvonne

Now that is a happy new year. Maybe it is like learning to swim. Having swimming lessons for a year or so and failing to swim on your own, dreaming at night how to do it and then when you did not practise for a while, suddenly it works when you are on holiday. Actually Marien I did learn to swim just like that with my dad in the sea on holiday! (o: I can swim miles but would not say I do it properly..do it in my own way and quite quirky since I broke my vertebra (I cant kick too well) but I can swim with mostly just my arms so I think talent can be about finding your own way to do something as much as doing it the right way? I dont even know if I am playing the concertina properly but it sounds good to me? My problem is I dont know anyone else here who plays a concertina so I have no criticism (o: I suppose in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed girl is Queen!! Talent therefore must be relative ?

I dont know if this is a sign of talent as in inborn ability or of a 'talent' as in a gift (Biblical) but tonight after just a week I suddenly became all intuitive with my new concertina..it was bliss and from my experience of playing by ear with harmonica I know this may be fleeting however eventually it will become permanent. I feel the angels gave me a gift tonight anyway strangely I was thinking about the guy next door who lives alone and plays the plaino really welll- he is a schooled musician ..not my type but I admire his skill..somehow joined his being and was playing with all fingers and all keys. Wow it was an amazing feeling like I was on another plane. That is the feeling of talent as I experience it..it comes a little at a time and out of the blue sooner or later and in my case it has come pretty quick. It is like an invisible teacher requisitioning your fingers and now I can play the floral dance!! I think talent is more of a gift or series of gifts given in a certain state of being...almost out of body experience when you are really wishing to play. I cant say I ahve practiced much this week as I was so busy with Christmas for 5 men and 3 dogs but half an hour each evening has earned me these little bursts of 'talent' and I am so happy. I hope I explained it rationally as possible but I dont feel it is a thing you can easily describe and it may be a different experience for other people. happy new Year..I am HAPPY!

The only connection I see in my past between talent and christianity (even though I do believe in God and sometimes go to church) is that the Church took my dad, a very working class boy from the slums of London, and gave him a scholarship to have the opportunity to develop and use his talents, however any well heeled benefactor/reformer might have done the same. I am not anti christian but I agree that these forums need to avoid inflammatory subjects. Interesting subject is 'talent'..I dont know if I have any talent in playing the concertina to be honest I dont think I have enough speed in reading music or handling the instrument to be viewed as talented. However if my musical memory (by ear) enables me to play a hundred or so tunes moderately well I will be pleased. The subject in which generally I am seen as talented is art and I would describe the feeling of talent as losing yourself and becoming one with the tools of your trade. I am very aware that it is the same for many talented players of musical instruments.

I have heard some singers and musicians play a piece very correctly but with absolutely no flare.. It seems to me that the talent is in that flare and the creative rendition of the tune or song. Innovation, initiative and creatiivity are usually part of the package called talent. The same applies to art. I see artists every day who have training but no talent..their painting looks the same as the other guy or gal down the road who did the same evening class

Good suggestions there thank you. I think it needs to be bag with a handle and certainly the recycled beauty cases sound ideal however I have to do my shopping in Ely and the options for such a purchase are limited- I dont drive and we dont have stores like Matalan in semi-rural Ely. A very lightweight bag on ebay would be ideal or if someone has one similarly light to sell I would consider that too. I used to be good at sewing things but not had a lot of time with 5 men and 3 dogs over Christmas. I do have an old black wool coat which might be ideal to cut up and sew so will think on that DIY suggestion too. All things considered if I bought a new padded one online it is ostensibly cheaper (for me in UK) to order from US! I found a place online in UK who had one 12.67 with free delivery black padded with zip but their billing form was a bit suspect and were asking for bank account details etc. I wish more suppliers would use Paypal.

Thanks for those last two post which I have copied and printed out to keep by me this week. I have managed, this Christmas, to learn quite a bit despite catering conscientiously for 5 men in household and 3 dogs I sometimes only have a half hour in the evening to give to it but i do practice regularly. I run out of wind a lot and dont have a rhythm for keeping the air supply up. I try very small movements but holding a position is quite hard whilst a more substantial movement assuages the muscles more. I am resting the instrument on my knees as was suggested earlier however I dont see many people doing that on You tube. I think I am a little reluctant to be strong with it in case I burst the bellows..this model is only a cheap one to practice on you see. Should I put more gusto into it or remain gentle with small movements? Before I disappear for another year would just like to ask if any current forum visitors are in Ely Cambs and would they be interested to join a U3A group for concertina in Ely during the daytime? U3A is a DIY club for all kinds of interests mostly serving retired people or people over 50 who only work part time. Bye for now and Happy New Year. Perhaps next Christmas I will feel it is worth acquiring a much better concertina but my Chinese model £75 is absolutely fine for my needs right now.

In UK second hand purchase nothing too special just a basic carrying bag which is clean and not smokey. Any material/colour and does not ahve to be padded. If you have one to spare please let me know how much with post and packing. I live in Ely Cambridgeshire.

Today I did find I could play another scale but not in the way described in the posts here..I was able to use the first two buttons on innner row of right hand side doh re me fa but the scale continued on the inner row of the left hand side which surprised me? I am a discovery learner and a kinetic learner so I will find my way eventually but have a need to recognise patterns in the buttons which so far seems a bit random? s I have a melodeon I can already play a lot of melodies by ear but apart from middle left row buttons on this concertina the left hand buttons seem to clash with what i play on the right.

Doggyvonne, Anglo concertinas come in basic keys. If you have the most common arrangement it will be a C/G with the row closest to your palms being G; the middle row being C; and the 3rd row farthest from the handbar composed of various extra notes and accidentals. As you have discovered it is fairly straight forward to play up and down a row and find melodies and add some accompaniment. This makes the anglo a very intuitive instrument. However there are lots of possibilities to play in additional keys and even chromatically by using notes available in all three rows. http://www.concertina.info/ should take you to one of the websites that has complete diagrams of typical 30 button layouts. With this overview you can begin to explore other possibilities. Various styles and approaches have evolved around the anglo layout. Cnet's "Learning" section has a list of some of the available tutors. It is an adventure! Good luck. Greg Thank you Greg for that information. At risk of sounding a real Muppet can I ask whether it matters which end you have on the right or left?

I purchased a cheap but amazingly good sounding concertina this Christmas just to find out how I can manage the Chromatic method. This has 30 buttons and I have discovered with no book or advice at all how to do a scale on the left and right hand sides. This is done on the middle rows of both sides. I am finding some pleasant combinations of buttons on these middle rows however I cant work out how to use the other 4 rows (2 on right and 2 on left?) What are they for? I have no probs with the melody on the middle rows at all just want to know what the other notes are for please?

Well I've got a cheap one (well relatively cheap,from hobgoblin, not a rochelle I might add ). And I find the bellows need quite a bit of oompf....although after 3 months of practicing either I'm getting stronger or the bellows are getting easier to push 'n' pull. That is interesting. Might I ask how much it was and the model etc? You see Ideally all I would want is to try it out because I can tell if I can manage it well after a few minutes really..can buy a cheap one to see if I can manage a better one of a similar size and weight and also if I can play the chromatic system. I am fairly able with my melodeon which is Chromatic but it is too weighty and unwieldy tbh.

Happy anniversary to you I hope you and 'tina' will be blissfully happy forever

Thanks I might just wait till then..but it's odd because Millers in Cambridge say 'quick buy now as the stocks are all going up 20% in January'..

I don't think that size is as much of an issue as most people would believe. See this recent thread and the video which we were discussing: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8578 Thanks but when i click on it all I get is biscuit the dog? I have three real live ones and they all answer to the name of 'Biscuit' the size and weight is an issue for me as I am old and have bad shoulders and cant hold a position with anything too weighty. Are these chinese models at £75 on ebay any good for a beginner- would cost me that to hire one for six months?

thank you for your fast reply. Yes I am familiar with themusicroom and seen what they have in stock however I was wondering if I missed other suppliers with offers etc. The size is now an issue and wondered if there as a child sized rochelle whihc does not compromise on sound or quality? I would consider a newish secondhand one too. Think it is a great pity that lots of folks dont get the chance just to handle and experiment for a few minutes in a shop but in our area this is rarely possible and sales people dont know much even if they have one in the shop to look at. I belong to U3A and wanted to start a U3A music group which is essentially a music workshop but looking for other enthusiastic people with instruments to meet in my house in Ely. U3A is for retired folks in the Ely area or at least over 50 and avialable in the afternoons. Have seen some fom china on ebay at £75 each all black. the seller which is a shop says that they are great value and I believe him but can they be repaired in UK as other models?