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Sean M

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Posts posted by Sean M

    The Rattling bog

    in Concertina Videos & Music

    Posted

    FirbolgNorc, what Peter posted is pretty good in that it gives you the melody and the chordal accompaniment. This is good for any instrument including concertina. If you're looking for something more concertina specific you'd need to let us know what type of concertina you play.

    • For an Anglo concertina you could look up left hand chords to play along with the melody here: https://concertutor.wordpress.com/fitting-chords-to-your-playing/chord-fingerings/
    • A duet concertina would offer a lot of chordal accompaniment options but there are also different layouts.
    • For an English concertina you could certainly play the melody but would have fewer options with the accompaniment but still possible even if just adding a drone note here or there. But I'm certainly no expert on English concertinas.
    • Being from Ohio it might even be a Chemnitzer concertina. I'd also be lost with how to help with one of these.

    To give more instrument specific advice on how to play the tune though we'd have to know what instrument you play.

    Online Academy of Irish Music OAIM?

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    I want to second Caitlín course. I've tried both her course and OAIM and for a multi-instrumentalist the OAIM is a great deal because it allows you to try all the courses when you subscribe but if you're only learning anglo concertina then I think Caitlín's course is much better. She goes through tunes for the most part but adds other things and the course allows you to slow down or speed up any lesson or tune. She also has 3 cameras set up so that you can see her playing in the center and a close up of each of her hands as she plays on either side of her. You can really see exactly what she's doing.

    I had been playing for about a year and went through her beginner's course in a few months and then started on the intermediate. I probably should have stayed there and worked my way through all the tunes but once she released the advanced course I got too excited and jumped up. I'm currently loving it and working through the tunes but I'll probably go back to the intermediate once I'm done to get get all those lessons as well.

    New Mown Meadows - advice on air supply

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    I play the second part of this tune exclusively on the G-row of the concertina. I hope I'm playing it in the same key because I learned in by ear but I start on high A RH 2nd button pull.

     

    Throughout the entire second part I don't think I really need the air button at all and I use LH Ring/Middle/Index fingers and RH Index/Middle fingers only for those 5 buttons on the G-row.

    • Like 1

    SOLD: Elise Hayden - For Sale

    in Buy & Sell

    Posted · Edited by Sean M

    I have an Elise Hayden by the Concertina Connection that I bought new from Liberty Bellows in Philadelphia about a year ago. Since then it’s spent most of it’s life in a box as my main instrument is an Anglo concertina and I also playing tenor banjo and have a few whistles around. I’ve barely played it and feel bad that it’s not being played. It’s like new yet not new so I’m hoping to sell it for a reasonable “used” price. I bought it for $435 and am willing to sell it for $335 $300 including shipping (inside the USA and $335 $300 + shipping for outside the USA).

    I’m posting this on my iPad and hoping I’ll get to be able to post some pics but like I said it’s like new.

     

    EDIT: Price drop, also will consider trade for Concertina Connection Jack/Jackie model

    1960s Popularity of the Concertina in the USA

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    I was watching this video that has probably been posted here several times but one thing they mentioned really stuck out to me. The video seems to have been recorded in 1961 and shows a concertina factory in England. At one point they say:

    Quote

    It is a sad fact that concertina has declined in popularity since the inception of the accordion. Only in America, it seems, is it still rarely regarded as a serious instrument.

     

    I was wondering if anyone could tell me any more about this. I've heard of concertinas becoming less popular due to popularity of accordions in the post-WWII era but I don't know anything about concertinas really having any history in the USA. Is there a certain region or style of music in which they were still "regarded as a serious instrument" during that time?

    Frank Edgley

    in Buy & Sell

    Posted

    The @ in the original link should be a .
    I'm not sure if that was done on purpose or accident  but if you copy the link to your address bar and swap it yourself then the link works.

    Concertina Velcro Straps

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    I have a banjo in my dining room that sits on a stand right in the middle of my house. I often find that when passing by I see it, pick it up and play a few tunes and then put it back. My concertina on the other hand is kept safely in a box sitting on a shelf in another room. While it only takes a few more seconds to get it out and playable I don't pick it up as much as I'd like and I think this is the reason. It's not right in the middle of where I am every day and it's not able to be picked up and played as easily.

     

    I've heard of people using strips of velcro that will keep the bellows snug in the closed position and was wondering if anyone could share any pictures, tips on making them or suggested materials (or supplies if US based).

     

    Cheers!

    What tune is this?

    in Tunes /Songs

    Posted

    I found this recording that I made maybe 10 years ago. The tune is still in my head but I cannot remember the name of the tune. Does anyone recognize it? I think the title might have been Dutch?

     

     

    People who play multiple systems

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    18 hours ago, Daniel Hersh said:

    [...]

    I picked up duet too because I wasn't satisfied with what I could do on the Anglo in simultaneously playing melody and accompaniment when playing solo. 

    [...]

     

    I think Lukasz raises some very good points about Hayden duet concertinas and where you see yourself going with the duet in the longer run.  I enjoyed playing the Elise and I thought it was a very good instrument for the price, but since I wound up switching to Crane in the end, I probably would have saved a year or two in learning time if my first duet concertina had been a Crane rather than a Hayden.

     

    This is pretty much exactly my feeling right now. I'm interested in the Elise both because of it's price but also because it is the Hayden layout. I'm interested in the Hayden layout as well as the CBA layout because of their isomorphism. At this stage I suppose it doesn't really matter which layout for a Duet I go with because I don't have any experience with any of them.

     

    Thanks again for everyone's responses. For the time being I've downloaded Michael Eskin's Hayden Duet iPad app and will try a few tunes especially trying to stay within the Elise range. This will hold me over while I think things over. Cheers!

    People who play multiple systems

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    23 hours ago, Alan Day said:

    You have a superb instrument and you have obviously master playing Irish Music on it, but you have a vast range of music available to you ,certainly if you start using the incidentals to create a Duet /Anglo style.

    If you get a chance listen to Anglo International which demonstrates the various styles available to you on the Anglo.

    Al

     

    I'm interested in this Anglo International CD set. I've searched a bit but everything seems to be dead links or not for sale. Do you know of anywhere that is still selling this set?

    People who play multiple systems

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    Thanks for all the responses!

     

    On 6/4/2020 at 10:23 AM, Łukasz Martynowicz said:

    [...]
    But, as years long owner of Elise I must ask - what repertoire exactly are you thinking of?

    [...]

    So be aware, from the very start, of the prices and note ranges of upgrade options and check what exact range you will need for your final desired repertoire.

     

    I don't have an exact repertoire in mind but I often find myself humming something from a TV show or movie or hearing a song that I'd like to play and then find it's fairly difficult to play on my Anglo due to it being in a strange key like B maj or a flat key. Also, most of the stuff I'm thinking of is something I'd want to play on my own with self accompaniment. While I'm aware this is often possible on the Anglo I'm okay with leaving the Anglo to folk dance music and getting duet concertina (or even a small CBA) for other types of music. Another style of music I like to listen to but find difficult to play on my Anglo are French tunes like this: 

     

     

    I can play the melody just fine on my Anglo but it sounds empty to me with out the chords backing it. 


    I've checked out the button layout of available notes on the Elise and I can see it's limited but it seems okay for the start and hopefully if it's something I stick with I can do a trade in upgrade to something like the CC Peacock or Morse Beaumont.

    People who play multiple systems

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    I'm interested to see how many people here play concertinas of more than one system (English, Anglo, Duet). I've been playing an Anglo C/G for a while now and play mostly Irish stuff on it. I would consider myself, low-intermediate to intermediate level. I think the Anglo is great for Irish music and is able to offer repeat notes to make playing melodies smoothly or for adding in drones and partial chords. I have a few of Gary Coover's books and like the more harmonic style. My Anglo is a Jeffries layout so I have to think a bit for the right hand accidentals but in general in works pretty well. I've been wanting to experiment more with music that is more harmonic with left hand harmony/accompaniment and right hand melody. I am considering getting a Duet concertina.

     

    I'm wondering if it's too early in my Anglo journey to add a different system that's completely different. Do many people on here play Anglo as well as English or Duet? Are there many difficulties to overcome in order to do so (aside from finding all that free time ?).

     

    Also, with going to a Duet I'm considering the CC Elise. I like the idea of the upgrade program. I used to own a Rochelle and while I thought it sounded great I found it difficult to do quick bellows changes that were required for playing Irish tunes at tempo. I don't think that will be a problem with the Elise since it has the same note push/pull and the type of music I want to play on it isn't folk dance tunes.

    Caitlín Advanced Course

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted · Edited by Sean M

    I know with the current pandemic situation a lot of things are being delayed. I was just wondering if anyone had any information on the development of the advanced course. Currently it just says "Coming in 2019".

     

    I'm a huge fan of her lessons and find theme extremely helpful. I've done the complete beginner's course and am working my way through the intermediate course.

     

    EDIT: Link for course https://www.irishconcertinalessons.com/advanced

    New to the forum. New to the concertina.

    in Teaching and Learning

    Posted

    I'll second Caitlin's course. I started concertina about 9 years ago and played about a year in the beginning and then gave up. A few months ago I started up again and have been using Caitlin's course and think it's great. I started with the free lesson and then subscribed. I made it through the "Starter" course and am now working on the intermediate course. I like the way she teachers, mostly by ear but offers written notation if needed. She breaks down the tune phrase by phrase and helps you with each phrase and showing where a good place to use an alternate button would be or to put in some ornamentation. She also has a way to change the playback speed so that you can slow it down to 50% or even speed it up to 150% without altering the pitch.

    Considering a Wren 2 C/G Anglo

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Sean M
    rewording a sentence

    Smyth's Accordion shop is in Oakland. Looks like a bit of a drive from Tehama county but his website shows a bunch of good beginner's instruments in stock. The best would be to play them and try what you like. I just recently restarted on the concertina playing a Morse Ceili this time around. I first started in 2010 with a Rochelle but found the bellows very stiff and the instrument in general difficult to play. It's definitely better than the cheap chinese made 20-button boxes but I still didn't enjoy playing it and it turned me off from playing the concertina for several years. Other people say it's the one of the best out there for a beginner which is why I'd definitely recommend getting to a shop like Smyth's if you could. When considering the Morse Ceili I also tried the Concertina Connection Minstrel but found the buttons to thin. Maybe I'm just picky?

     

    Quote

    Can a 30 button vintage Anglo be had for ~500 USD?

     

    I know it's not easy to invest a lot of money into something when you still are unsure if you want to really be serious about it but I've found that concertinas more than other instruments really change the experience based on the quality of the instrument. If I was given a both a cheap and really expensive violin or guitar it would take me months if not years of playing to really tell the difference between them but the difference between a mid-level Ceili or Clover and a starter's Rochelle or generic 20-button is noticeable within weeks of playing if not immediately.

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