Mary B
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Posts posted by Mary B
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Jim and Martin,
Your discussion of the A dorian mode has explained something that was puzzling me about a tune "The Pikeman's or Halting March" in the Richard Carlin book. The key signature has one sharp, and the chords he suggested to play with the tune were A minor and G. I always thought A minor had the same key signature as C major. I am guessing that the tune is really in A dorian, not A minor. I am not used to playing modal tunes. They weren't common in the folk music I played on the guitar.
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Danny,
Thank you for the advice. I enjoyed the video. I have been trying to learn that waltz as a single line melody. Your version with harmony notes is wonderful.
Henrik,
From your comment, I see that I need to be able to play the fifth jumps both ways, since the other notes will influence the fingering. That gives me a goal for learning to play better with the middle finger underneath.
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The reason it's easier for me to tuck my second finger behind is that my hands come at the concertina from an angle above horizontal. If your forearm is level with the rows of the buttons, then it'll be easier to tuck your first finger back; but if your elbow is up above the concertina, the second finger naturally falls a bit behind the first. Doesn't it?
So I guess decide how you want to hold the concertina, and then you can decide your fingering based on that. Also, there's something to be said for mastering both methods, and being able to choose between them.
I hold my concertina on my lap with my feet propped on a big book so my forearms are level with the buttons. That may be why tucking the first finger back is easier. However, I will try to master both methods. I am sure there will be situations where the one I find difficult now will be useful.
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I have been playing my Jackie about two months now. I have acquired the Butler, Anderson, and Carlin tutors in addition to the one from Concertina Connections. In all the books except Butler's (on page 55), the authors tell how to play the higher note (G or A) with the index finger and the lower one (C or D) with the middle finger. I find it much easier to tuck my index finger under the middle one, and use the index to play the lower note. Is there a reason why that is not the preferred method by most of the authors? Do any of you more experienced players use the Butler fingering?
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I also appreciated your collection of the simpler tunes in the Basic tune book. Thanks for considering the needs of a beginning player.
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Les,
Thank you for the information about the price. Is there an extra cost for sending it to California? How much would that be? How would you like me to make the payment?
Martin,
Thank you for the address.
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Does anyone know where to buy the Les Branchett EC tutor "Conquering the Concertina"? I have looked at the list of books on the Button Box website. They don't sell it. I also checked Amazon with no success.
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I also do not like the sound of the normal fifth interval. I play the English concertina and the fingering of the vertical fifths is difficult for me. I like to play the note of the fifth tone an octave lower. For a C chord, I play middle C together with the low G on the right hand; for a D chord, I use the low A on the left hand with the D on the right hand; I play a G chord using the G on the right hand with the lower D on the left hand. I am not sure if these are considered proper chords when the fifth tone is lower, but they are easier to play on the EC. (I have only been playing about one month so that is important.) I sometimes use the first and second notes of the chord, instead of the lower fifths, but I like the rich sound of the low notes.
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I enjoyed the lesson. Thanks for posting such clear explanations. The tune is one of my favorites, although I sing it with different lyrics.
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Thanks, Alan and Greg, for your advice.
Greg, the biggest problem with louder notes intruding happens when I play an eighth note following a dotted quarter note. The eighth note seems to blare out. If I follow your advice about the staccato playing style, should I play the dotted quarter note staccato, too, but wait the correct time before playing the eighth note? I will give it a try. Thanks, again.
Mary
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I got a Jackie about three weeks ago because I wanted to play the English concertina. The only time I had seen a concertina was at a concert by Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, who plays an EC. My goal is to accompany myself while singing folk songs. I have played the guitar for about two years, but I wanted to learn another instrument to give my fingers a rest from the guitar strings. I had a lot of pain this fall from learning barre chords.
So far I have worked my way through the tutorial that came with the Jackie, as well as most of the Butler tutorial. I find the tunes that require two fingers at the same time very difficult, especially the sixths.
I was very happy that I have been able to learn the melodies of many Christmas carols on the concertina, however I discovered that it is difficult to sing along at the same time. Another problem is playing the tune smoothly; often I play one note much louder than the others. I don't know how to fix that.
I would appreciate any advice.
Anglo Concertina tutor online
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
Could you tell me what a "cut" is? I have only been playing the English concertina for two months. I have the Butler, Carlin, Anderson, and Miles books. Anderson and Miles talk about ornamentation, but I did not see a "cut" mentioned in any of the books.