Susanne

I may be able to be there but not sure yet. I hope you'll have my concertina ready then or at least some news about how it is doing!!! Yours is doing fine, I played Svältpolskan the other day. How is it possible to get there from Copenhagen airport?

Hi people!!! We had our second gig with our band last week, it was very neat, we played a new tune that was very easy to improvise the concertina on, an Irish (I think) song called Roving navvy. However, it was the first time that I played the concertina seriously on stage. We did have some troubles with the sound, at least on stage, I barely heard the mandolin (that I played most of the time) so I have no idea how my break sounded.... and the concertina definitely wasn't heard.. but I don't know, the guitar player said that he heard the mandolin so it probably came out to the audience, and I hope it was the same with the concertina. What would you use to amplify a concertina? The song microphone? The same mic as with the mandolin? Another microphone? What should I think of if I want the concertina to be heard?

No, it was as far from the coast as you can come!! Ransäter, Värmland, Sweden, really in the inland, close to Norway. There is a little lake there though...

Hi Richard and welcome to the forum. That's a nice squeeze box you've found yourself!! They really have them at Hobgoblin? Good luck with your playing, and don't worry about increasing your repertoire! I know only four tunes fairly well after 1,5 year (but I also play several other instruments) and I wish I had concentrated on learning some more tunes. The more tunes you know, the more you get used to finding your way around on the instrument. At least that is my experience. Here's my boxes (but the melodeon needs to be repaired - a mystical disease hit it during the Ransäter festival - it's got rust on the reeds, but no other sign on water in it. We have to send it to Italy to be repaired Don't know if we'll get any money from the insurance company.) http://www.svalefelt.com/bilder/boxes.jpg Is this forum site gone mad?? I can't use the "insert link" or "insert image" buttons above, they just complain and tell me I have to insert an url, and if I do it, it still complains.

Are you trying to do this on your English, or your anglo? And it's just you playing, not other instruments? In any case, for me it depends on the melody, the speed, the musical phrase, even the words. Drones, melody, moving harmonies, chords... each is good in different circumstances, and more than one can be used in a given song or even in a given verse. Also, chords can be applied in many different ways: sustained, staccato, oom-pah (bass note followed by chord), arpeggiated, on the beat, off the beat, changing with each note, changing less frequently, etc. Have you listened to my song samples (from Elsie Marley down to Za Lyesom) on Henk's recorded tune links page? Those are only a few of the possibilities, and they're all on the English, but similar styles should also be possible on the anglo. Of course, you should also listen others on that page. I advise that you experiment, and I hope your singing parter will allow you to do that as you develop your accompaniments. I'm using the English, since he sings in weird keys (this tune is in G, though), and what I've done so far is to play chords (but I think single notes sounds better, except for some places in the tune) and a little melody line, sort of as a break. I was practicing in the woods today. will try it with our singing Thomas on Sunday.

Hi everyone! Can you advice me on how to back someone else on the concertina? I play some chords and a little melody line as a break. I recently got to play in an oldtime/Irish music/anything band, and I play some concertina for the more Irish-type of songs. How would you do? Just chords for the verses and then fills? Anything else?

Stupid me never took the time to ask this at the squeeze-in, so now I'm asking here. I read that it is not good to blow dust off reeds with your mouth since it also makes moist come into the instrument. What should I use instead?

Only in my living room when I played a concertina break on "Eight more miles to Louisville". If now you consider bluegrass a part of the country family (not everybody does).

Ok, I didn't miss it. I just wasn't logged in.

I missed the poll, but I'm planning to go this year, unless it will be on APril 29th! My husband and I are going to play in church that Sunday so I'll be at SSI at any weekend just not that one!

Hi folks! As you know I just recently bought a Rochelle anglo C/G. Now that I've started learning to play some, I have a question. Do you usually play on the G row when you play in the key of G? Or do you play on the C row and use special buttons (accidentials and on the G row) for the missing notes? I think the notes on the G row, especially on the right side, are so squeaky and high, they don't sound good at all. Or do most concertina players play them, just that I haven't thought of it?

That's ok, Irish music is what I want to play on the anglo. I play everything else on other instruments. I'm not so good at Irish music but I know a few tunes. If those you mentioned are good to start with, I'll try them, and the easier of the tunes I already know.

Maybe this should be on the learning/teaching board. Move it if you like.

Hi everyone!! I got this idea in my head to find an anglo concertina to start learning some, I think I got the idea at the Irish session last month when I met a lady who just recently had found one at auction, and I thought it would be cool to learn together. In addition, I realized that my Wheatstone EC is not tuned with most other instruments, and that I need to fix some reeds to give it a nicer sound. And what should I play while the Wheatstone is in pieces? Can't be totally concertina-less even if i also can play mandolin, fiddle and bouzouki..... I'm too hooked on bellows instruments!! Anyway, I got myself a Rochelle, which is probably not great, but I don't care, it is playable and I can learn on it. So now, what is the easiest way to learn to play anglo concertina? The tutor that came with the instrument is like most other beginner tutors, just a lot of "holding the instrument" and beginner music theory, no technique or any idea of what is the best way to actually learn the instrument.... Seems like sheet music is taboo, so i thought I'd try learning totally by ear, the problem is I will have no idea what notes are where on the concertina. On the EC, I started with a "map" on the two sides of buttons, and using sheet music to play the right notes to play a tune. In that way i learned where the notes are. The anglo doesn't seem to be as logical, if you can call the EC logical.... The notes on the anglo seem to be spread out here and there, half of a scale here and the other half somewhere else... I can play a few simple tunes slowly but with a few mistakes, but it's not too bad after a week anyway.. How do you think i should do to practice? Also, I wonder, are there tunes that are not suited for the anglo concertina? Or is it just a matter of pushing-pulling more in some tunes, less in some tunes? What are good beginner tunes in Irish music? Thank you and HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!

Do you mean that I should be happy with my flat concertina and that the others should tune their instruments to my concertina? Seems like I sounded good to the accordions and melodeons this summer. Maybe they were flat too?

Now I have confidence enough to bring my concertina to jams and such, but someone said it was a bit flat, which I hadn't noticed, since it always seems to be in tune with our fiddles and such when we tune them to the Intellitouch tuner. Anyway, last week I took it to the Irish session and it actually sounded a bit out of tune to the other instruments. I'm not sure if the fiddlers on the Bälinge event just simply tuned their fiddles to my concertina or if it just is more noticable when you play with many instruments. Daniel (my husband) said that accordions normally are a little bit out of tune and that they at his session in ireland used to tune all other instruments to the accordions. What do you say? Should i get my concertina tuned before i take it to jams? Is it normal for a concertina not being tuned 440?? What are your experiences? When i read about new concertinas they often write in the specifications that it's tuned a=440.

Hi concertina enthusiasts! I've been exploring the possibility to get an anglo lately, since I met a lady not so far from me who happened to find one at auction (same luck as I had with the Wheatstone) and it would be cool to learn together, besides I need to do some work on my Wheatstone and it would be nice to have another concertina to play while I have the other one in pieces. I knew since my search last year that it isn't easy and that they do cost. Now this question just arose, where do people get there boxes, in reality?? Do beginner players really pay anything from 1500 dollars and up for their first instrument?? I think that sounds quite absurd... of course one wants a good instrument to start with, but that's quite a lot of money for an instrument you don't even know how to play. And anyone you ask will tell you DON'T BUY STAGI OR HOHNER!! So what do people do?? I've bidded on a 20 key on Ebay, if not good for Irish music, at least good for some Swedish music and something to start with. I'm also looking at Rochelles, but they seem to be sold out at Concertina connection and The music room has a quite high price. All other choices right now are in the US which gives a very high shipping price. I'm quite hooked on bellows instruments at the moment, have tried our melodeons, but I like them smaller, we bought a one row cajun style melodeon on EBay but it needs some work and - I really prefer the concertina size of instrument!! Wish me luck!

I am completely devoted to southern oldtime music, haven't played it much on the concertina, but I play a lot of oldtimey stuff on the fiddle. I've tried Soldier's joy and Liberty on the concertina, and it sounded nice. I've tried to "cajunize" oldtime on the concertina, real cool stuff.

Haha, it's a hot subject. Too many silly discussions in the past "for/against sheet music". I really didn't believe you thought sheet music was a curse. Most serious musicians can see the advantages with sheet music. But you really sounded like the bad boy in your post. Things like that always makes me mad. Sorry

That is just simply wrong. Printed music is a tool and it is NOT difficult to play without it. If you read music you have far more music available than if you don't. Printed music is just a skeleton of a tune, an idea of the melody. You need recordings to know what it's supposed to sound like, to get the rhythm and the feel of the tune. Reading music doesn't mean that you don't play by ear. That being said, I know that many people who read music never learn to play by ear, but that's not because of the printed music, but because they're simply in a tradition (like in classical music) where people don't play by ear. Reading music and playing by ear go very well together and they help each other. My husband doesn't read music very much, he's always learned by ear. But, I learn more tunes faster by using sheet music than he does by learning from midi files and recordings. And he usually then learns the tunes from me. It doesn't matter in what way you learn the tunes, as long as you are not dependent on the printed music, because, as you stated yourself, you can't bring your tune books to the jams. I learn tunes from printed music and I learn tunes by ear. If I learn from printed music, I play it through many times until I have it in my head and can play without the sheet music. I always learn to play the tune without sheet music sooner or later. If it's a type of tune that I'm not very familiar with, I absolutely need a recording to get it right, while with other tunes, like most Irish tunes, I can just play them. But also in those cases it's good to listen to a recording to hear how others play them. In trad music, there isn't one version that is the "right"one. You can make every tune your own. When i learn bluegrass tunes, they are usually too complicated for me to have the patience to sit down and learn them from sheet music. I listen to the tune a lot of times and play along, play them in a way that I can play them. I usually make up my own versions. That works well for bluegrass music, but I know that in most trad music settings it isn't as welcome to make up your own as it is in bluegrass, you can add your ornaments but not stray too much from the melody. I absolutely agree that if you have difficulties remembering tunes, the best thing is to get the tune in your head and being able to sing it. Then you can also most certainly play it. Play it through many times. If it's difficult to learn without sheet music, fine, use sheet music, but also listen to the tune until you have it in your head, then you'll be able to find it easily on your instrument and also remember it.

Here are a few more that I play sometimes on the mandolin and that would be nice to learn on the concertina: The lilting banshee Connaughtman's rambles Tar road to Sligo Haste to the wedding

The only one I can think of right now is Morrison's jig, but I know I'm trying to play a few more. I'll be back. Thanks:)

I've just started learning some Irish music on my Wheatstone, after some rambling around with chords and back-up to Swedish music. What comes most naturally for me is to "slur" or whatever you call it in concertina language, I pull (or push) the bellows and produce notes without changing bellows direction until the next series of notes. I'm not sure what to do since I've never played such instruments before. What would you do? What do you think sounds the best? What is the easiest way to play a jig on an EC?

I don't see the problem. Why can't beginner use good instruments? I think the whole discussion is ridiculous. If you're a beginner and are serious about playing, and can afford a good instrument, then go for it. It is easier to learn playing on a good instrument. I'm not an anglo but English player but I know the EC's are as expensive as the anglos. I have tried a few cheap anglos I came across in some shops and they were all awful, very tough to play, you could barely pull the bellows out. That's one of the troubles with cheaper instruments, they may be harder to play. A beginner needs an instrument that helps them to learn to play it, not one that actually prevents them from playing (in lousy sound, or no playability). I consider myself being a beginner, I can play scales and a few tunes and chords. I have a Wheatstone from the 19th century, simply because I found it in a music shop. I didn't even know it was a Wheatstone when I bought it, I just wanted a concertina and that's what I found. I don't care about the name. I just want to be able to play. I wouldn't want an exclusive instrument because of the name or because it is expensive, but I want a reasonably good instrument. Everyone who wants to play deserves a reasonably good instrument, no matter what level they play at.

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