LDT

what's a slip jig? Sounds like a painful injury.

so what's your favourite tune/song to play on the concertina?

You're doing fine. As you know already that it's going to take a lot of time. (Years!) My questions are Are you reading the notes and playing? Or Have you got the tune in your head? For me as I don't read. I think that with the tune in your head comes the timing and the speed. (Er, and the mistakes, but they will go away). Chas I get the 'tune' from my head (I play the tune o tron version first to familiarise myself) but where my fingers should go from the page (R1, L3 etc. its from a tutor book). So what to play written down but how to play in my head...I think that makes sense.

I think it was when I was recording and playing (I get a bit 'tense coz I'm concentrating so hard on not making a mistake)...I also (when using garageband) have to find a way of pressing the record button while still holding the concertina in both hands which usually involves me stretching with my foot to click the button which is just to my right balanced on a stool.

you gotta be careful in 'good green woods'.....there's knights, wild women and all sorts of characters wandering round them

It does take a lot of concentration from me. As soon as I stop concentrating and let me 'instinct' take over I make a mistake..or most commanly invert the notes. (is it possible i'm musicly dislexic?) Tell you what a I did last night recorded myself playing then played it back and 3x speed...actually sounded ok...so I just need to speed up by 3x when I play. lol!

you mean another escapee I think people are avoiding me....coz everytime I meet someone I go 'Oooh look what I'm playing. Here try it. Do you want to play one too?' Had one of those can't stop moments last night....my mum came in and says in that tone of voice 'I'm going to bed now'. lol! I've never grasped chords on any instrument before....I'm the kind of person who learns best by this method: See person play Get taken through tune bit by bit Try put it together with help go away and practice come back try again and smooth out rough edges. I prefer being shown visually than reading...

Hi sounds like your at a similar stage to me. *waves*

Woo! spongebob rocks. *sings* 'Who lives in a pinaple under the sea....' When I was at school drunken sailor was my fave recorder tune (can't remember the notes now) although it had different lyrics.....it was changed to 'what shall we do with the grumpy teacher' being kids we erm merged them together (when no one was listening) to what shall we do with the drunken teacher.

ah now I've lowered it again Its like learning a whole new language. lol!

you found a name in the end.

I have my best ideas for stories and art in my dreams.

well last night I was on the brink of tears coz I couldn't do it. know its childish...but I don't know....blame it on my hormones. lol! Don't even start on driving...last time I tried I had trouble starting the car then I kangerooed it down the road and did the gearbox in. lol! My co-ordination has never been...erm..great. I'm going to give it a try for at least a month before I give it a rest for a while (chords that is).

ROFL! If I could draw a cartoon horse I'd do a little sketch of that. Any horse related songs that it might be singing? Ah..next time I will be clever and use the code words Vulcan and Klingon instead I wish I could 'pick it up' quicker.

If you see a bright light...keep away me too

They are always using that quote on TAW. I wasn't going to ask what is folk music...wouldn't dare. this thread has kinda gone off on a tangent. I only asked my original question coz I find chords really hard..I wondered if by playing in a different 'style' would limit my choice of tunes.

I'd been listening to more traditional stuff and liking it, and I was fed up of always being the audience....Tried taking up the recorder again, gave me a headache, tried penny whistle was better at that but I kept finding it aggrivated my breathing...not wanting to stop breathing I gave that up, I'd tried guitar in the past and failed.....and piano was too....normal. Plus I dreamt I could play the concertina several times...I thought my sub-concius was trying to tell me something....or maybe I was just reading this thread http://forums.spiersandboden.com/index.php?topic=269.0 too much. lol! everyone talking about what they were learning whetted my appitite. Plus I needed something to fill my time that didn't involve a computer screen as I work on computers all day and there was nothing on TV. And here I am.

horses play music? lol

If were talking local traditions.....I'd say a song like 'Baggy Trousers' by Madness (You play that song and every member of my extended family in the vicinity will join in dancing) represents my community more than the Trad songs. Does that make it a new tradition?

That's what I started off doing.....then I thought I'd increase my practice time....but it hasn't work. I'll have to go back to a bit of practice before dinner a break to eat then an hour afterwards. yeasterday I got so fustrated I nearly chucked the concertina across the room...but I have more self control than that. But it gets so fustrating when I see people find music so easy and I find it such a struggle. I find it hard to judge if I'm progressing well or not as I don't have a mesuring stick to know if I'm doing well or not in comparison to other beginners. There's a metronone on garageband on my mac..but I turn it off coz I find it distracting and it never goes the same speed as me. Can't play them at speed...and coz I'm not familiar with the tune I can forget it (how it should sound) halfway through a lot. I'll never get that fast.

I dreamt I could play the concertina

The same tune plus another one. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9hny7vCct0w I chose to learn two coz then I can alternate and not drive everyone too nuts at home with the repetition. lol! ah...so that's doesn't work then? I think my ambition outstrips my ability and talent currently.

I wonder if its house trained too? 'I'm like an onion I have layers' - Shrek

I'm also a newbie. I was practicing all yesterday afternoon and now my arms and neck ache.

I'm English but I have Irish, Dutch and Spanish gypsy ancestory (apparently) somewhere in the distant past. So does that count to?