SqueezeCat

It is interesting that you say this. As. . . strangely enough I really started working on cross-row fingering so that when playing in my local session (mostly ITM) here in Yorkshire I wouldn't get "nice, but too English" comments from one of the fiddlers. (Who happens to be English, BTW.) All that cross-row fingering gives the possibility for a lyricism that doesn't happen on the Anglo when keeping within a single row. When it comes to it, many English tunes sound fantastic with the bounciness (in the row) of the Anglo, and due to local session pressure, my playing of English tunes has been 'easily Anglo' where the Irish tunes have taken more thought. This really could be as a result of local conditions, in the end. But, really, one is woe to ignore the comments of fellow musicians. I suppose I started this thread with the problem of widening my repertoire. . .

I suppose I'm tossing around a few thoughts. Not necessarily in any order: Anglo: we've got that "bounciness" that can really things liven up Anglo: but, that "bounciness" also means that some things aren't so easy to play lyrically--that is, with a smaller concertina (my 31 key Wakker A4) there are some notes that can only be played in one direction, which means there may be bellows direction changes when one might prefer not Anglo: the push-pull system puts a wide range of notes in a small instrument Anglo: the various limitations force one to come up with creative arrangements Hayden: regular layout suggests ease with sight reading Hayden: with 46 key, actually a smaller span of notes than the a 30 key Anglo Hayden: wide flexibility for making arrangements--notes/chords not limited to a single bellows direction. (Eg., I can have my choice of half-diminished 7th chords) Hayden: actually need to carefully consider phrasing & bellows direction. (Need to do the same w/ Anglo, but it usually happens for you depending on fingering chosen.) At the moment, it is this chromatic Frenchy stuff I'm playing with now that has me thinking about the Hayden. The fingers really have to go acrobatic across the keyboard. And, while I'm not the world's best sight-reader, it isn't so straightforward to read a new tune in my Frenchy tune-book. Essentially I've got to solve the fingering/bellow problem before coming to anything sensible on the Anglo. Having been trained as a classical instrumentalist I find the steep curve for new chromatic tunes to be something I'm not particularly used to. I shouldn't be surprise, of course, the Anglo is diatonic instrument, after all!

At the suggestion of Jeff, I'm posting an email I'd sent and the received response on the a question of Hayden Duet vs Anglo. . . -------Original Message------- From: Lloyd Subject: Hayden Duet? Sent: Oct 03 '09 1:45pm Hello Jeff, Thought I'd be in touch directly, rather than starting a discussion thread on concertina.net, as you're someone who is known for playing both the Anglo and the Hayden. I'm hoping you can offer some advice and thoughts on the matter. I've been playing Anglo for about four years now. At the moment I have one of Wim's A4s, which is the instrument I spend most of my time with. I've also acquired a G/D rebuilt by Wim from a derelict Crabb. (This one is very light, and plays like a C/G.) Also on the shelf is a 46 key Jeffries Anglo--which looks like it was originally a Jeffries Duet. In the past year or so I've been playing tunes in the 'near' keys (D and F on the C/G) rather than transposing. And, just recently have started to look at more chromatic French popular tunes from the 50s--some of which require quite a bit of acrobatics across the Anglo keyboard. (Easier on the 46 keys!) I have a spot on Wim's waiting list for a new instrument, and had been intending to replace the Jeffries with one of his 39 key Anglos. As I'm starting to play more chromatic music, I'm beginning to think that maybe a Hayden might be useful to contemplate. Most of your recent YouTube videos appear to be your Hayden, so I'm guessing that you prefer it over your Anglo? Can you make any comments about the differences between playing the two instruments? Important issues I should consider? Thanks in advance. My best, Lloyd -------Reply Message------- From: Jeff Lefferts Subject: Re: Hayden Duet? Date: 5 October 2009 2:33:07 am BST Well, this might be of more general interest...if you feel like posting your note and my reply to concertina.net, feel free. You might get more perspectives. Yeah, I've pretty much stopped playing the Anglo. It just doesn't seem to make sense to put in the time to play two instruments with such a similar sound. I think the Anglo has an advantage playing bouncy tunes with basic accompaniment, and arranging for the Anglo gives certain challenges which stretches my musical thinking and yields interesting results. But the duet makes so many more things possible. If you want to play several different styles, and play satisfying self-accompaniment, I think duet's the only way to go. Another one of the biggest advantages of the Hayden, for me, is the regular layout. I felt many times on the Anglo like notes were scattered about every which way, and it really seemed to keep me from getting an intuitive feel for tunes and chords. There are downsides to the duet. First of all, it's more difficult -- probably mainly because more complex arrangements are possible, so I feel compelled to play them. Playing with both hands at once isn't easy for me, and has required LOTS of practice. If you don't have a lot of free time and motivation, it might be better to stick with the Anglo. Also, it's easy to fall into a monotonous sound, changing bellows direction as infrequently as possible, never giving the bellows a good "punch." At least having played Anglo has given me the ability (and desire) to work quick bellows changes in to create ornaments or emphasis. The concertina has a limited tone palette, so every little trick helps. But I feel my playing isn't as jaunty as it would be on Anglo, and I'm working on that. With a 46-key instrument, I still often have to transpose tunes into a suitable range. I like arranging and adapting music written for other instruments, but if you don't, you might not like the duet. You can improvise basic chords and bass notes, but I think the duet's strength is in making arrangements which fully utilize the instrument. Me, I feel like I'm barely scratching the surface. Even so, I'd like more buttons! If you usually play with other people, your arrangements can be (probably even should be) less complex, and the Anglo again might be more suitable. Overall, I'd have been happy sticking with Anglo (especially if I had a 36-or-more button G/D), but the duet allows me to go more in the direction I'd like to. I hope to continue trying to keep some of the quirky, dynamic nature of the Anglo in my playing. --- JL

I would echo, "Have a chat with Chris Algar." In the past 6 months I've seen Algar about a G/D. . . and have come away with, in his words, "the best G/D I've ever seen." I managed to play a number of instruments, including a few, "quite dear". The box I came away with is a remarkable instrument which feels like a C/G rather than a G/D. In the end, I think it depends on how much you're willing to spend and how long you're willing to wait. If you're in touch with Algar regularly, I'd expect you'll manage to meet your needs. I'm pleased as punch with my new box. . . lloyd