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Ashkettle

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Posts posted by Ashkettle

    My Morse Albion On Ebay

    in Buy & Sell

    Posted

    As some of you know, I haven't been able to play in a few years due to arthritis. I was selling my Morse last year, but due to a whirlwind of personal hell (deaths in the family, followed by a bad case of pneumonia) I sort of flaked out and never managed to respond properly to people.

    For that, I apologize to all.

     

    I'm selling my Morse currently on Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Morse-Albion-Treble-English-Concertina-/191506002538?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c96a5b26a

     

    Honestly, if nobody bids and somebody on this list wants it for the low bid price, let me know and I'll pull it (so you would't have to do the Buy it Now price). That deal is for the members of this forum, who I've had nothing but great experiences with over the years.

     

    Thanks

    Richard Ashkettle

    (Ec)Morse Albion For Sale $1500 + Shipping

    in Buy & Sell

    Posted

    37 key (because that's what they come in) Morse Albion (English) concertina for sale. It's in mint condition. My hands just can't play anymore (arthritis has taken its toll).



    It's a great concertina and I'm going to miss it. Hopefully it will bring enjoyment to somebody else.



    I'm looking for 1500 USD + shipping.



    interested parties just PM me.


    Morse Albion For Sale - $1500 + Shipping

    in Buy & Sell

    Posted

    37 key (because that's what they come in) Morse Albion (English) concertina for sale. It's in mint condition. My hands just can't play anymore (arthritis has taken its toll).

     

    It's a great concertina and I'm going to miss it. Hopefully it will bring enjoyment to somebody else.

     

    I'm looking for 1500 USD + shipping.

     

    interested parties just PM me.

    Question about the English (particularly traditional music related)

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Yeah, it's been a while since I've posted. What can I say, I lurk.

    In any case, I'm about to come into a small bit of cash and am thinking about trying out an English System. They have always fascinated me and I find myself playing more styles than just ITM these days.

     

    As is typical, I have a dilemma. I have about enough to get a Morse Albion. I'm a fan of the Button Box concertinas. However the number of keys makes me think. If I recall, it's a 37 key. From looking at things, it should suit what I intend on playing (mostly folk stuff...Irish, Scottish, Morris, Contradance, Old Time even, and maybe some backup for singing. Heck, I'd be willing to try some Scandinavian folk. I like folks music, what can I say?). I'm not one for Jazz and where I enjoy classical, I enjoy listening to it much more than playing it.

     

    So I was wondering. Would the 37 keys be sufficient for that? I'm pretty solid in that price range, so the Geordie at 400 more is out of the range. Any Wheatstone I find in that range is with plastic buttons and from what I'm reading, that's not really a sign of quality (making the Albion a safer bet).

     

    So...English players, help me out here. Any thoughts on if I'm going to regret the choice? Should I be looking for something else?

    FS: Morse Concertina

    in Buy & Sell

    Posted

    It looks like I need to downsize my music collection again. I'm selling a Morse Ceili C/G with Jeffries layout. It has Rosewood ends and is probably the best Concertina I've played from them (and I've owned three). The action on this one is amazing.

     

    It's in absolutely perfect condition (I'm quite fastidious with my instruments).

     

    I'd like 1500 + shipping for it. It's available immediately obviously. This is a good way to save a wait and a few hundred off a new one.

     

    Yes, I'll still be playing Concertina, just on my old Stagi. Sometimes you need to sacrifice.

    Make your own bellows papers

    in Instrument Construction & Repair

    Posted

    I love to look of a nice bellows paper. It's the only thing I would change about my Morse. It's like having a sports car without pin-striping.

    Well, Richard, I felt that way about my Morse, and Chris's method would have been faster than mine. The late Rich Morse was kind enough to give a hearty laugh when he saw it.

     

    Ken

     

    Ken, that is truly a work of art you have there. I may break down some day and put some papers on my Morse. Nothing quite as unique as yours, I imagine, but I do think it adds something to the look.

    Playing in the Irish Style

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    To play in D on a C/G is not the same as playing across the rows. The Paddy Murphy / Noel Hill style is really all about avoiding chopping and coming up with what is to them the most logical way to access the notes for whatever keys more smoothly (allowing for a faster playing with more ornamentation possible). As opposed to being more row based, it's more of a column based approach, with care being had to not use the same finger for two differing buttons in a row. It's a solid technique, and there is good reason that many are learning this way now. It's logical.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    If you want to play many Irish trad tunes in D, you have to arrive at a 'system' along the lines of Paddy Murphy/ Noel Hill as far as I can see. Take the aptly named Concertina Reel - relatively speaking, this is a breeze if you play it along the C row in the key of C. Presumably that is exactly how it was played in the past by concertina players for house dances etc. But play it at a session with others or in a Ceile Band in key of D and it becomes quite a different animal that requires a new approach. Playing efficiently in D is surely what defines the 'modern' approach to playing Irish trad on the C/G.

     

    You are confusing a 'system' with just playing along the G row and stepping out of it for two single notes. Everything except the C# and E are in that G row. That's what playing within the rows is, as opposed to the much more complex system that Hill is teaching. As I've stated, that complex method is a darn fine one. It allows for smooth passages which in turn allows for more ornamentation choices (note, I'm not saying just more ornamentation, but more choices in what you wish to use). That's quite compelling and shouldn't be overlooked. Heck, unless they are on a 20 button, I don't know anybody who strictly just plays along the rows these days, but it's a style that has a certain sound.

     

    I also don't see Noel Hill's teachings to be defined as playing efficiently in D more than just playing efficiently. That system works perfectly well in G (which could indeed be played on one row), A or C (and I'm sure a few other keys). It's well thought-out.

     

    Quite a few folks use Mr Hill's system because it makes sense. Quite a few use it because it allows them to play faster, or with more ornamentation. I just happen to like the bounce that comes with playing along the rows. I'm fairly sparse in my ornamentation anyway, and Concertina is a secondary instrument for me (after Flute/Whistle and even Harmonica), but I miss the bounce if I'm playing too long in one bellows direction.

     

    Anyway, I'm rambling now and need some more coffee.

    Playing in the Irish Style

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    The tricky part is explaining what "Irish style" means for the Anglo concertina. There is an older Irish Anglo style which does not involve much cross-row playing -- for example, a tune in the key of G would primarily played using the buttons on the G row. Kitty Hayes was a well-known player in this style. But when many players refer to Irish style Anglo playing, they are referring to a newer style, developed by Paddy Murphy and refined and popularized by Noel Hill, that uses a very specific type of cross-row technique to play Irish dance tunes. Players who play in this style tend to play one note at a time (though there are exceptions, such as Micheal O Raghallaigh) and they often use many traditional Irish "ornaments" to elaborate the tune.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    It may be useful to put this in some historical context. During the 1800's and early 1900's when dancing and trad musice were very popular in rural Ireland, the norm was for crossroads and house dancing - small groups of neighbours dancing with maybe one or two musicians at most playing. For these purposes it mattered little what key the dance music was played in - whatever was handiest on the given instrument. This sort of community dancing declined in the 1900's, partly due to suppression by the clergy, and instead dancing was encouraged more in parish halls. Here you had a much bigger crowd to play to and a group of musicians was required to make the music heard. Thus the need to play in more standardised keys. The fiddle can be played in pretty much any key but the common D whistle and flute tended to play more easily in D & G etc. The concertina needed to fit it in with this idea of playing in groups of people. So, the 'Paddy Murphy/ Noe Hill style' really is just how to play tunes in D on a C/G concertina.

     

     

    You are pretty accurate up till the last line. To play in D on a C/G is not the same as playing across the rows. The Paddy Murphy / Noel Hill style is really all about avoiding chopping and coming up with what is to them the most logical way to access the notes for whatever keys more smoothly (allowing for a faster playing with more ornamentation possible). As opposed to being more row based, it's more of a column based approach, with care being had to not use the same finger for two differing buttons in a row. It's a solid technique, and there is good reason that many are learning this way now. It's logical.

     

    Playing D while straying from the G row only for the E and the C# is not playing across the rows, but playing along the rows (the way we have the terms defined in this thread and in others). I primarily play along the rows, but that's because it suits the sound and feel that I want (and I'm not afraid to go across the rows if that gets me what I want), but I favor the jump of bellows change and have no desire to play at breakneck speeds that dancers could never want to dance to anyway.

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

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Took about a half hour to get used to it. I tried an experiment and just fiddled with a new tune on it (Dunmore Lasses, nothing too complex) that I've never played on Concertina before. After I got it down playing it on the phone (with headphones on), I picked up my concertina and tried to see how much carried over.

     

    The tune just flew out. Great for learning tunes imo.

     

    I like it a lot. I'll probably buy the other key ones just to fool around with.

    Playing in the Irish Style

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    Just to clarify though, the "older style" is still being done by modern players. Playing along the rows and leaving them when you feel it's right to, is just as valid as playing across the rows. Both get you differing results, but neither is the "right" way.

     

    There are many who prefer the way Mr. Hill plays, and none can doubt that he's an amazing player. Still, there are simpler styles which others prefer. Play how you feel the most comfortable. Find a style that suits you. Most important is the music and phrasing...the pulse. To make that work, you need to be very intimate with the music and understand the idiom and nuances.

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