Wolf Molkentin

I like that as a perspective (albeit I might fall under the latest category and thus have to rely just on the music itself). And you're truly successful (not only) in that particular art, Steve!

Hmmm. Eager request, but only one further recording - mine. What's with that?

Hello Don, thank you for your kind remark, glad that you seem to have liked my recording. The song appeared so familiar from just listening to it... (albeit I had of course to work on the details to get the melody right). I'm really looking forward to learn more about Cyril Tawney and his songwriting! Thank you for pointing at the "Mainly-Norfolk" site (which has in fact been forced to move to another non-university webspace). Interesting reading particularly regarding this tune! And the recording by June Tabor is demonstrating (if needed) once more the potentialities of this classic-seeming song with its plain and true statement... Best wishes - Wolf

Well, albeit this being not the tune I voted for and I'm still feeling unwell due to a nasty cold I chose to provide the following demo recording Raggle Taggle Gypsies' Ride to get things started. I will record a more focussed version once I'm back on my feet again. You will have noticed that I play the related Irish version which I'm familiar with from the Waterboys and the likes. From my naming of the tune you might guess that I carried the tune one step forward however in adding a B-part actually based on the one of the "Sheriff" tune but adapted to the style of the Irish tune. Besides I'd like to point to two other Demo recordings of self-accompanied song which I already presented elsehwere (for those who might be interested and not have participated in that "Teaching and Learning" thread): Mole in the Ground Grey Funnel Line

Just had to try out this great new-to-me song. Thank you Matthew and Don, what a fine addition to the repertoire. I recorded it spontaneously now representing my approach on slower tunes, again with melody + chords throughout. To my ears it works. Here is Grey Funnel Line My voice being a bit shaky from a cold I tried to compensate with a better mic / notebook position; but the hardware simply won't do I guess. I'll have to go for a proper mic.

You made my morning - what a voice (which I didn't happen to know as yet), and what a take! Don't believe it's Alf Edwards backing though since I don't hear his Aeola or a concertina at all... As to adapting there's a frequent I6 chord as well as a diminished one which add to the outcome but are of course not inevitable.

Hello Steve, thank you for your encouraging and helpful remarks - very glad you liked the take and got what I was aiming at with my playing! Guess I will have to deal with miking and editing going forward... Best regards - Wolf

Hi Jody - yes, you kow that song, and I bet you know that I know that you know it... The "Paul and Jody" album has been a huge inspiration to me ever since you gave it to me at the Seaford Folk Club in 2012 in the aftermath of your great show overthere. I repeat myself from the first post and the notes with the soundcloud file when I say a big "thank you" for your music to which I have to add another "thank you" for the current encouragement - very much appreciated! And Łukasz, glad you liked my recording too - liked to hear your marching song too. And as to the registers of accompaniment, it never happens to me that I have to lay the instrumental melody line underneath the voice with my treble EC since I need room for a fundamental, third or fifth at least, but it's a natural solution to alternate in both directions when it is indicated. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Best wishes - Wolf

I'd like to bring up my first recording of self-accompanied singing here - not regarding the singing (which isn't well captured and might have to be improved anyway) but the technique of song accompaniment. When using the (English) concertina I mostly include the melody, which emerges an octave above my bass/bariton voice. IMO this is working quite well in the following example, in combination with a (at least to my ears) fiddle-like rythmic chording. I Whish I Was a Mole in the Ground (I posted this mistakenly in another thread initially)

I've experienced that with my GCF melodeon - much less push/pull than on the two-row (or more still my very first, a one row pokerwork...).

Having looked around for a proper place for this I came to the conclusion that I might present "it" here: Not a proper recording which would fit in with the above-mentioned tracks, merely a Demo, meant to demonstrate a style of accompaniment. I Whish I Was a Mole in the Ground Thanks to Jody whose performance has once again been an inspiration for giving it a try! Edit: I had mixed up this thread with another one in the teaching/learning compartment where I had rather intended to post the link (which I did by this time).

Right, as to me the little finger is needed for chords (or open fifths), particularly with low notes on the outer edges.

I wondered just off reading the first post, but found it sufficient to leave things to this advertising forum member...

What comes to my mind is that the EC once seems to have been designed for playing with just two fingers on each side (whereas the little and ring finger "rest" on the "rest" plate). However. the piano being my main istrument over decades it never struck me as odd to play the EC in the "traditional" way (albeit using all four free fingers of each hand). I guess I have the notion that the vertical (or "sideways") orientation fits with the alternating logics of the English concertina. Might be pointless, but again: it's working quite fine as to me...

I'd guess it's the valve... (which you could easily fix (or replace) yourself).

It might be of some interest regarding the evolution of free reed instruments (and just to this extent), i.e. to gain deeper knowledge of our instrument's ancestry...

Thank you - this conversation gave me the clue in two respects since I apparently had chosen "topics I started" which means you had it right, Spinningwoman, and in addition it resulted in your (final) reply making up one "new content" in fact. Thus solved

I think your post prevented me from getting that message just now. Witty remark, Jim But that's not it... (there's some old unread content as well as at least one new post from one Jim Lucas left - subject: The Squeezers).

Asking for new content will give the above-mentioned return newly... "Sorry, no new content found", to be precise...

Wow, great playing - I guess that's m favourite from your recordings, David - as far as I know them... Best regards - Wolf

Good choice again, Jim! Never played one of those, but I almost certainly will now...

I guess you might say some things (including critical remarks of your choice) about my playing but certainly not that it sounds like midi files...

And as to the topic, it might have an impact all the more when quite a few EC players would pick up ITM (not that I'm counting myself among them; my aims are different even when playing Irish tunes).

Agreed. It only takes a brilliant player ,enjoyed by many, to change traditional views Al I agree in return, regarding a single player who might be inclined to change "history" (of folk music). But I don't believe the ways of influencing the process to be that limited. Every new notion, if even just a shade of it, might have an impact if only it is comunicated at all, then may be picked up by others a.s.f.

This has been discussed before, but nevertheless I'd like to repeat here my belief that any traditional instrument will have defined the style of its tradition. OTOH pretty much of our playing is emulating (for instance and in my case: fiddle, reed organ), and this might apply to the traditional 20b German-concertina players as well. They will have been acquainted to other then tradtitional instruments (such as flute or fiddle, or even the piano?). It's all in all a lengthy process, in which nobody is that independent but free to introduce his or her own addition... EC players might thus enrich even "ITM" rather then restrict themselves to disguising their instrument in the "true" sound of an Anglo.