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My jazz manouche group, DC Ambiance, is performing live for the show THE WORLD OF NOTA & ZITA This is the story of two immigrant sisters who became an international sensation only to die in obscure poverty. The music is arranged and performed by DC Ambiance. The performance is on Saturday April 13th . Pre Show music starts at 8:00 PM with the performance starting at 8:30. . The performance is free but seating is limited on a first come first serve basis. DC ArtOmatic is a festival free to the public with 800 visual artists and over 200 performers celebrating the Festival's 25th Anniversary. It is truly a swell time!

Here's another example of how I arrange ascending and descending split chords to accompany songs. Attached are files in: youtube video, midi, score-pdf, lyrics-pdf, xml Don't have anymore Mrs. Moore-G.midi Don't Have Anymore Mrs. Moore -lyrics.pdf Don't have anymore Mrs. Moore-G.xml Don't have anymore Mrs. Moore-score.pdf

DC Ambiance performs Django Reinhardt's Douce Ambiance in Concert Feb 14, 2024 Buco and Bill Parmentier - Guitar Jason Gekker - Bass Randy Stein - English Concertina

For anyone interested in learning to play or improve their playing on the English Concertina, I have a few slots open for new students. I'm located on the east coast in the US. I have students across the pond and all around the US and Canada. I teach via Zoom. All lessons are crafted to benefit your individual need and improvement in bellow control, fingering technique, and playing abilities. I supply pdfs of all music. If interested ping me and we'll start a conversation.

My Django swing style group, Lezards de Salon, is performing on Friday, July 14th 6:30 - 8:30 at the Lost Boy Cider Pub. 317 Hooffs Run Drive, Alexandria, VA , USA. https://www.lostboycider.com/event/bastille-day-party/

Yesterday my swing jazz group, DC Ambiance, was featured at the Washington Folk Festival on the Yurt Village Stage. Photos by Jeffrey MacMillan.

EVENT CANCELED DUE AIR QUALITY ISSUES. The duo 2 Many Buttons is performing at the FDA Farmers Market in Washington, DC on Friday, June 9th. 11:00 - 1:00 Come by, say hello

Mo Rún Gael Óg ( My Fair Young Love ) . Scottish Gaelic Lament. Played on Hammered Dulcimer, English Concertina, Fiddle, & Whistle. Lockdown Video #585 Cheers, Dick

On April 18th at noon, I will be performing three pieces of music for the Holocaust Remembrance Day Event. Free to the public.

The Brig o' Perth. . Scottish Strathspey composed by Donald Dow & first published in 1775. Played on English Concertina, Fiddle, Tenor Banjo & Bodhran. Lockdown Video #540 Cheers, Dick

Teaching someone to play chords (this includes double stops) and droning on the EC can be overwhelming for some. One way to approach this is to take a fun simple tune, like Blaydon Races, and first learn to play just the melody line. Then slowly add in the double stops, then 3 note chords, and finally the droning. For those who read music I've attached both versions. This is a great session tune and once one plays it with confidence you can begin to add your own touches as well. Blaydon races.pdf BLAYDON Races with chords.pdf

I used to perform a 45 minute musical acrobatic clown show back in the 1970s and 80s. It had lots of flips and handstands and total craziness. I was asked to be part of a Chanukah Spiel at my synagogue with a request to play my EC as part of some comedic musical act. Here is my performance sans handstands and flips. https://youtu.be/z6TnaGczg9c

I offer lessons to all levels who wish to learn and improve playing the English Concertina. Lessons are online via Zoom and I supply all music needed prior to a lesson. If you want info send a message through Cnet. On a different note (pun intended) I recently took a few lessons from a violinist for help on a specific piece of music I wanted to learn. The time spent was invaluable and I learned more than I had expected. I am convinced time spent with someone who can mentor your musical skills is, in my opinion, incredibly important to one's ability to increase not only musical skills but help with increasing one's ability to learn and create a musical repertoire. Or as my bubbe used to say "it couldn't hurt"

I want to take a moment and give a very loud shout out to 4 of my EC students who performed at this year's Northeast Squeeze-In. Performing onstage in front of an audience is stressful. All the more so when it's in front of well over 100 musicians, even if they are your friends. But the NESI audience is always supportive and enthusiastic. While the videos of the concert are not yet available, the photos are. I am extremely proud of their performances and especially that they added their own additions to my arrangements. Their were just fantastic.

I have a couple of students who play a Jackie EC. In order to get them to build good knowledge of the key board (buttons) we play tunes that offer accidentals, arpeggios, and scale runs. One recent lesson with a student was a real struggle with a tune they received over a month ago. My student commented 'I played it much better before my lesson.' To which I responded that playing it and practicing are two different things. One can learn a tune and competently play it by just sitting down and playing it over and over again. One can also learn to develop fingering and muscle memory by practicing difficult phrases and fingering over and over. When I speak to a prospective EC player who wants to take lessons, I always ask what do you have difficulty with and what do you hope to accomplish. Almost always one of their answers is to hit the correct button for the right note. That is, get to know and learn the button layout (key board). Just playing tunes will accomplish this over time or one can really dedicate some time, effort, and practice to accomplish this quicker and better and benefit overall. Just saying...

So this topic is primarily for EC players who enjoy reading music and practicing using more classical oriented resources. I periodically take a lesson with a friend who plays violin in the Air Force Chamber Orchestra. Often discussions revolve on specific pieces of music and how bowing and phrasing mirror what I want to do on the EC. Recently I discussed how I was using some scale studies of Carl Flesch and adapting them for the EC for both my warm ups and students. He suggested that a better fit might be the books of Henry Schradieck (1846-1918). Having purchased all three of Schradieck's books on scale studies I concur. Book 1 helps a violinist with fingering and position. It is a great resource for a beginner/intermediate EC player to concentrate on phrasing and fingering. Book 2 on double stops and droning. Book 3 is dedicated to bowing techniques but on EC will introduce complicated scales and arpeggios in major and minor harmonic and melodic scales as well as chromatics and studies in octave, thirds, sixth, and tenths. So, maybe this is all a bit esoteric for some (or most) but his way of introducing a study with reinforcement is quite effective. Do not let the fact that it's written in 16th notes and has some studies in key signatures with 4 or 5 sharps and flats. It is a wonderful practice and playing development resource.

I will be performing solo in New York City on Tuesday June 21st at the Flagpole Plaza in front of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island from 1:30-2:30 PM. This is part of Make Music Day which their website describes: Make Music Day is a free celebration of music around the world on June 21st. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries.

Piggy backing on a recent discussion about playing by ear or playing with dots. One of my intermediate students wants to learn to arrange a tune,primarily using double stops. While she sight reads very well, chord structures are not intuitive to her yet. I recently attended a gypsy jazz session. Most had music or were using an app called iReal Pro that provides chord charts. For me I often need those charts to play and be able to adequately improvise. Many of these tunes use chords in minor, diminished, or modal scales. Chords will often be augmented, have a minor 5th, or add a 6th or 9th. So yes, I often need a chart to follow. But the more I play the easier it becomes to hear the subtle chord changes and automatically play along. Knowing how to employ and play a more complex chord is a skill one needs to develop. A simple double stop is a good way to start. Playing by ear or with music. Why not do both.

MY FAVORITE THINGS was composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for The Sound Of Music in 1959. This is a live recording from a performance on Feb 13, 2020 at the Restaurant and Wine Bar, Blend 111. Buco Cavar and Bill Parmentier - Guitar Alex Novak - Upright Bass Randy Stein - English Concertina

I was very fortunate to learn my playing techniques for the EC from Boris and Sergei Matueswitch. Boris had a plethora of music he arranged and transcribed for teaching proper phrasing (bellow control) and notation (note placement for proper and alternative fingering when playing single or complex note patterns and chords). Both men were extremely accomplished musicians and performers. Boris could play anything. I offer lessons to others hoping to teach their lessons and techniques. Two of several questions I ask when someone wishes to study with me is what kind of music they like to play and what it is they wish to accomplish in taking lessons. The majority play some genre of traditional music and almost all say they want to get better at playing the correct notes (knowing which button to push is usually what they answer). Both could be accomplished by attending sessions, then learning and practicing those tunes they hear. Our current pandemic limits the chances to do so. Quite a lot of traditional tunes can be challenging, as any trad player will tell you, and will increase fingering and bellow control. A traditional tune like this particular fiddle version of Speed the Plow or the fiddle tune Reel de Levis offer notation requiring fingering on the outside and inside rows, scales and arpeggios and are especially challenging to a new and learning player. I often add in some double stops to teach simple chording. Of course you have to practice and learn the tune to become proficient. As an example, I've attached the notation for Speed the Plow in the Key of A from the New England's Fiddlers Tune Book. I used Musescore to transcribe, with alternative fingering I recommend when playing. There are plenty of YouTube recordings to watch and learn from as well. SPEED THE PLOW.pdf Onward...

About 6 years ago I decided to dedicate myself to developing a way to play and perform in the swing jazz style of Django Reinhardt, the famed swing European jazz guitarist. A few years ago I was lucky enough to plug into a weekly gypsy jazz jam session. While the EC was at first a bit of an oddity in this musical venue I slowly received acceptance and began to get offers to gig. That led to Buco Cavar, a well known jazz guitarist in the area, inviting me to be part of DC Ambiance and we've been performing our arrangements ever since. DC Ambiance is performing Wednesday December 18th at the Bossa Bistro Lounge from 8:00 - 10:00. This is a major DC music venue. There is a small cover charge for the musicians. Come swing in the holiday season with us and support live music. Will be a fun night for sure!

L'amour Toujours Valentine's Day at the Caboose Cafe Randy Stein Music for Solo English Concertina Friday Feb 14th 6:30 - 8:30 2419 Mt Vernon Ave Alexandria, VA, USA