Howard Mitchell
-
Posts
207 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Howard Mitchell
-
-
I called Neil's home number to get some information and blow me answered the phone himself. He was in hostpital for 4 days and is home as he put's "with a lifetime's supply of pills, no driving and more walking". I passed on your best wished and I'll be seeing him at the weekend to take a look at some of the concertina fossils (his words) which he's been buying of late.
Howard Mitchell
-
I am informed that Neil Wayne had a small heart attack last Friday.... I do wish him a speedy recovery.
My best wishes to Neil, also.
I hope someone who lives a bit closer than I is able to visit him and convey our wishes. Yes?
I live only a few miles from Neil and used to live at his B&B during the week before we moved house to Derby some 5 years ago. When I'm here I often call in for a chat and a pint but my job which involves international travel often gets in the way. I called Neil last week and arranged to see him this week or next. I just got back from Madrid yesterday so it's a bit of a shock to hear the news. I'll go and see him in the DRI and take all your best wishes.
Howard Mitchell
-
The auction house Perkins, George, Mawer have forwarded me a set of photographs which I've put on...
Howard, when I click on your pictures A, B, C, and D, they all seem to be identical.
Mea Culpa.
The links should be
Howard Mitchell
-
My brother-in-law has seen a concertina at an auction sale in Lincolnshire, UK and knowing that I'm interested in such things passed the reference to me. The auctioneer told him that he expects it to go for about GBP250.
I don't need another concertina at the moment, nor do I have time to do repairs so I thought someone here may be interested.
It's listed as "Concertina in original black ebonised box ex C Wheatstone and Co of Charing Cross, London". It's a 30 button anglo, wooden ends, bone buttons?, 5-fold bellows in black with gold stars. The auction house Perkins, George, Mawer have forwarded me a set of photographs which I've put on
and they add "I'm afraid we cannot give out condition reports of any kind, nor can we give out reserve prices, if guide prices are available we will forward them."
It's lot 352 in their auction 10th March 2005
I'm told that the instrument plays (it works!), I don't know what key or tuning it's in, there are some bellows leaks and the box is split. There doesn't appear to be a serial number on the outside of the instrument.
Howard Mitchell
Edited to correct the link to the pictures.
-
The Tune-o-Tron page says that it uses abc2midi to do the conversion so I tried abc2midi on my local machine and it converts 7th and maj7th chord correctly.
So I looked at the C code for abc2midi and the relevant part was last changed in 1999 but I can't tell if the specific code for chord production was altered.
If anyone's interested the code for major, minor and 7th is:
static int list_Maj[3] = {0, 4, 7};
static int list_m[3] = {0, 3, 7};
static int list_7[4] = {0, 4, 7, 10};
static int list_m7[4] = {0, 3, 7, 10};
static int list_maj7[4] = {0, 4, 7, 11};
static int list_M7[4] = {0, 4, 7, 11};
which seems correct, the numbers being the note numbers in the chord from 0 -root, to 11 maj7th.
I wonder if Tuno-o-Tron is using an earlier version of this routine.
Howard Mitchell
-
Well, thank you all for your unexpected comments.
I've added three more tunes to my web page which will, I hope, meet with your approval.
http://www.hgmitchell.plus.com/hgm/nancy.mp3
http://www.hgmitchell.plus.com/hgm/watermanshornpipe.mp3
http://www.hgmitchell.plus.com/hgm/tourneeatrois.mp3
Howard Mitchell
-
Today I made a major update of the Recorded Tunes Link Page. Links were checked and new entries were added:
[*]From Howard Mitchell I added one tune (I saw two tunes some time ago, but miss a nice slow air now)...
Henk,
the tune you've included from me is played on a Wheatstone C/G anglo.
The tune you're missing is Quendale Bay played on a Crabb C/G anglo. It's on
http://www.hgmitchell.plus.com/strad/Sounds_files/track3.mp3
Regards
Howard Mitchell
-
...
One thousand points to Howard who mentioned wisdom and accordion in the same sentence. Minus two thousand for being cheeky about it.
Oh dear, I hope cheeky means what I think it means and is not offensive.
Cheeky's fine. I might have preferred ironic as in -
Blackadder: Baldrick, have you no idea what irony is?
Baldric: Yeah, it's like goldy and bronzy, only it's made of iron.!
It's getting late, I'll get me coat.
Howard
-
But even if you do have the right hand accidentals the nature of the melodeon basses means that left hand accompaniments are heavily compromised unless you've got a _lot_ of bass buttons. ...You could ignore the left hand, but that really would be only playing half the instrument.
Given the choice again, for the amount they're used, I would cheerfully dispense with the accidentals and have an entirely diatonic box, because that's what I play it as. I'll readily admit to putting the melodeon down straight away if something's not in D or G or their relative minors - but then I would have a concertina available for other keys anyway
I'm with you on this one Stuart. I'd even go further and say that to a large extent I play the concertina this way, using the left hand to provide accompaniment.
I wouldn't dispense altogether with the accidentals but I do prefer them in a half row rather than at the end. This includes the reversals of D and E (on a G/D box) which parallel the third row of a concertina and the reversals of G and A on a C/G concertina.
If it get's outside my key range I swap to double bass!
I'll quote a bit from my earlier post from the Grauniad - "Squeezebox players ... can only play in 2 keys - which again, is more than enough for anyone".
-
Over the last 6 weeks I've been working in London (I live in Derby). When I'm away from home, if I can take a concertina, I like to find a session to visit to meet new people and alleviate the hotel boredom.
This time I found a session at the Cricketers near the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. It's an excellent, predominantly English, session with fiddles, melodeons, 2 or 3 concertinas, guitars etc. and very welcoming people.
It's my last week on this assignment so I'll try and call in for the last time tonight but I thought I'd use this forum to recommend the place and note that the pub is being sold and the new landlord doesn't want the session to continue (shame).
There's details at http://www.greentrad.org.uk/
My thanks to the other musicians at the session, anyone in this neck of the woods could do worse that call in on a Tuesday.
Who knows where my next assignment will take me. Be warned it might be your turn next.
Howard Mitchell
-
...Obviously C is the "easiest" key on a piano keyboard, with no accidentals. ..
I've often heard it said that C is the easiest key on a piano but, tapping the wisdom of my piano- and accordion-playing friend, he says that C is difficult because you have no reference point which you can feel (rather than see). With other keys the accidentals provide a fixed reference.
I claim additional points for using the words wisdom and accordion in the same sentence.
Howard
-
The American image pertains to certain extent here in England. Here's an extract from a short piece in the Guardian in praise of the melodeon. Admitedly a bit tongue in cheek. -
"The squeezebox, or melodeon as it is called in polite society, is not a mother-of-pearl encrusted goliath with an over indulgence of piano keys down one side and zillions of buttons down the other. That is a piano accordion and is to be avoided. A squeezebox is a neat wooden instrument about the size of a shoebox with 10 buttons down one side and two on the other, more than enough for anyone. From a distance, it looks like an Enigma machine and its inner workings are equally mysterious. Piano accordion players are usually called Jock or Luciano and sport bow ties and a yard of teeth. They can read music and like to show off by playing in lots of different keys. Squeezebox players answer to anything, read nothing apart from Exchange and Mart, haven't got any teeth and can only play in 2 keys - which again, is more than enough for anyone."
The piece ends with -
"Most important of all, the Squeezebox is sexy. Although it lacks the phallic thrust of the guitar or the animal magnetism of the drums, the sensuous easing of its bellows, back and forth, drives women crazy. That's what my wife says. In fact she is so concerned that my squeezebox playing will enflame other women she insists that I play it in the shed at the bottom of the garden. "
Which could easily apply to some of our concertina playing.
I must add that I regularly play with a piano accordion player of the highest quality (just in case he's listening) who uses all the best bellows and keyboard techniques to avoid the excesses of the instrument.
Mitch
-
Don't Feed the Troll
-
.....I ended up with a wooden ended Norman........
Hi Howard
Was this the concertina you were playing at the Sheffield Festival stragglers session on the Sunday night? If so it certainly had plenty of punch!
Pete
Pete,
Yes, that was the one. It was a bit of a cheat my being at the festival stragglers session. I hadn't been to the festival at all, just returning my daughter to university on the sunday and took the opportunity to call in at the session.
Howard
-
Interesting isn't it. I was raised (figuratively speaking) in the 1970s revival period, before accordion reeded instruments. I picked up instruments of varying qualities in "antique" shops and also played some "better" instruments care of Neil Wayne and at Mr Crabb's shop in Islington and I listened to the likes of Alistair Anderson, Kenneth Loveless Tommy Williams and other players of the day. So I thought I had in my mind the range of sounds which mean "concertina " to me. From brass or steel reeds reeds, metal or wooden ends, treble or baritone or bass (or piccolo or contra-bass). Skip forward a decade or two and I bought a late Crabb anglo with metal ends and steel reeds in aluminium frames. Another different sound to add to the range. Skip forward again and looking for a G/D anglo, I tried some concertina reeded-instruments and some melodeon-reeded instruments. Again this expanded my "this is a concertina" range but more relevant to this discussion, I played some of the instruments to (or at) non-cogniscenti for their opinion and ,as Tom reports, invariably they liked the melodeon-reeded sound and I ended up with a wooden ended Norman.
Just to put an opposite twist on this, only last week I went to a session in Greenwich (London, UK). I'd not been before, I'm working in London for a few months and need something to alleviate Hotel boredom. Two other concertina player asked what I was playing, liked the "rich sound" and were both amazed that it was a melodeon-reeded instrument. Similarly I've played at a folk club run by Keith Kendrick (UK people may recognise this wizard of both english and anglo for song accompaniment). He, I suggest like many others, has the sound of the less-favoured makes of melodeon-reeded instruments in mind but had not come across the upper-end of this type and was well impressed.
Enough rambling, lunch time over.
Howard Mitchell
-
Somebody else had a more extensive set of chord diagrams for the anglo. They've been referenced here in the past. Unfortunately, I don't have time to do the search right now.
As I recall, those diagrams included not only major and minor, but seventh and sixth chords. Still none of the more complex chords that Wendy has diagrammed, though.
To be found on my page at www.hgmitchell.co.uk
Click on the "Concertina" button then follow the link to Anglo Chords. I did the clickable diagrams as an update to John Kirkpatrick's article on Anglo Chords in Free Reed. All his writings now appear on his page at JK
This gives you the context. If you want to go straight there click Chords
Howard Mitchell
-
-
It's difficult to get a picture of the usage of concertinas in morris across any geography but it does seem that there is anecdotal evidence everywhere and yet some people have seen few instruments.
Just to add to all this, I was the only concertina player in the jig competition at Sidmouth all the others opting for melodeon, fiddle, pipe and tabour, piano accordion and I think one chromatic button accordion.
Chris, the saxes and trombone must have been those nice people from the Old Swan Band. Such a good band and yet no free reeds at all (except when Martin doubles on mouth organ).
The Nutters had their concertina band with them at Sidmouth but they feel a bit redundant when the brass band is also there.
Howard Mitchell
-
As you'll be living in Bloomsbury, will you you be studying at a nearby place of learning. UCL (University College London), is the obvious one but there are many more. I was one of the "Godless Students of Gower Street" from 1969.
I picked up the concertina whilst there but I doubt that many of the places I remember are still active except Cecil Sharp House just up the road in Camden Town.
You might try the social dance class there on Thursday evening which has a "come all ye" band. You might also try any of the London morris sides. Listing for morris sides are on www.morrisdancing.org
regards
Howard Mitchell
-
Although Will based his style on Scan Tester ,I think he has gone way past him as far as playing is concerned.He is of course closely linked with Scan even playing his old concertinas and still plays the octave style but I think his Scan Tester link is now over and people should be refering to the Will Duke style.
Alan,
Will made this point himself during the workshop. He's quite aware that his style has developed from Scan's and is now his own.
Howard
-
I spent a pleasant couple of sessions at Sidmouth with Will Duke teaching us some of the tunes and techniques of the anglo player Scan Tester.
Here's a picture of Will with Scan's concertina in C/G (in the right hand) and a modern Dipper in D/G.
Howard Mitchell
-
I've put a set of thumbnails which you can click to get full size images of the Blue Meany on my web page.
You can get to it via http://www.hgmitchell.co.uk - click Concertina then Blue Meany or go directly to http://www.hgmitchell.plus.com/hgm/bm/thumb.htm
Howard Mitchell
-
My understanding as to why two reeds are used instead of one is the horrrible graunching sound you get when you change direction on the same button. How do you overcome that?
Chris,
I've played an instrument that has only one set of reeds and a valve arrangement so that the air always flows in the same direction through the reed.
Although there were several leaks in the air chambers it was possible to change directions whilst playing the same button with little if any noticable change in the sound. The inertia in the reed means that it carries on playing during the momentary drop in pressure. I didn't detect any graunch!
Jesse has emailed me privately for more information about this instrument. I'm working away from home at the moment and playing at Sidmouth all next week. I'll try and revive the phographs and diagrams and put them on a website as soon as I can.
We're going modern at Sidmouth as those nice people at Orange have put me on the trial of their new 3G Mobile Office Card which means I'll be able to stay in touch as supersonic speeds.
Howard Mitchell
-
I'll be at the Sidmouth festival but the concertina may not be very much in evidence. I'll be playing with a dance band called Stradivarious - 13 events to play for - look out for double bass and melodeon.
I've also just been asked to play for a friend in the morris jig competition so I'll probably play the concertina.
Performances and concerts allowing I'll try and get into the Radway if nowhere else.
Howard Mitchell
Learning To Restore A 20-key Lachenal
in Instrument Construction & Repair
Posted
Hi,
I notice from your email adress that you're at UCL.
Your's won't be the first concertina to fixed up at UC and if by coincidence you're in the engineering department or in FilmSoc that's where I investigated and fixed my first instruments in about 1970, both places having workshops and materials.
It looks from your photos that the end bolts are all present and sound. Be careful not to strip them or lose them as replacement is difficult because they're not standard threads. I re-tapped some inserts and put 7BA bolts in one of my first instruments.
From your description, it sounds as if one or more springs are broken. You can get new springs from Hobgoblin, 24 Rathbone Place near Tottenham Court Road or make new ones from phosphor bronze wire - I got some from the engineering stores.
The "echoey" sounds may be due to valves sticking or may be due to leaks in pads or the seal between the action box and the reed pan or loose reed frames. Don't underestimate the effect of the valves. You can get new valves from Hobgoblin.
Be careful with the reeds. The skills for tuning and setting need to be learned. I'm sure there will be lots more advice here about tuning.
Good luck. Unfortunately I'm no longer in London but I'll help with any questions you have.
Howard Mitchell