PeterT Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 In my early days as a C.net Forum member, it seemed that we used to see some very informative postings on a range of concertina-related topics. We also used to have some lively debates. The former seems to happen rarely now (have we exhausted all the possibilities?), whilst the later seems too often to degenerate into a personal level, resulting in threads being closed; as an on-looker, you can see it coming....... For most of C.net members, summer is now a fading memory, and the "dark months" are upon us. So; what did eveyone do during the summer concertina-wise (either directly, or tenuous links)? How about some sharing some experiences? For myself, hearing rumours that the concertina, in England, was an endangered species, I set out to see whether I could track down this elusive beast. I hunted high: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1541322 I hunted low: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1400525 I chose good weather for my rambles;, however, I did see one Tornado: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1443847 I'd heard rumours that they might have been spotted in Kent, but it turns out that the informants were only jousting: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1453366 I travelled overseas: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1423112 And looked in what I thought might be the most likely places: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1459920 And some of the less likely ones: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1349813 Finally, after months of endeavour, and the odd blister; following up on a "hot" tip, I found: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1494463 So; the concertina is not, yet, extinct! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Carr Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 In my early days as a C.net Forum member, it seemed that we used to see some very informative postings on a range of concertina-related topics. We also used to have some lively debates. The former seems to happen rarely now (have we exhausted all the possibilities?), whilst the later seems too often to degenerate into a personal level, resulting in threads being closed; as an on-looker, you can see it coming....... It does seem very quiet... As for the ec being extinct, these days I play in a ceilidh band with 2 other ec players (although two of us play other things too), and we've been known to have 3 ec's at our local session... much to the chagrin of the other players I imagine! So it seems as though the concertine is having a revival in Edinburgh, at any rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LDT Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) I haven't taken part in many discussions lately because I've found a lot of it is going right over my head. Beeing a non-musical person. But I'm sure its not boring. Not enough frivolous talk. Edited October 30, 2009 by LDT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 i dont think c-net is boring. i think there will be lulls and high points. i think on any forum, established members always remember the good old days. the same discussions do happen again and again, and i find that i comment on them less and less, which is pretty normal in forum culture, and in real life. i can think of one friend and i who basically have the same conversation every time we talk, and that if you look at our friendship over the last several years, we only have 3 or 4 different conversations that we cycle through. i think we have had some interesting conversations over the last year or so, regardless of whether or not they have happened before. we have had the threads about virtuoso playing, taking concertinas onto airplanes, thummer updates, and a debate about whether or not a professional concertina player is only one who does not have another job or play another instrument. we have talked about why the english is unisonoric, helped new members pick instruments, and even recently had a thread about english concertina playing technique (which seems to happen not as often as it should). i have learned new things about how the horniman museum works, shipping is conducted between companies, and even tried out wim's awesome new eire concertina, which i heard about through this forum and then asked him to let me play. heck, merryl streep even played the concertina! so, i think that concertina.net is definitely not boring. as far as forums go, it has always been slower moving, but that means that everyone has a time to think about it, read it, and comment, without getting lost in a sea of 20 new threads a day like on other forums. i spend many hours a day on the internet, and my computer has calculated time and time again that concertina.net is my most visited website. personally, i think i may spend more time at other sites, but the numbers don't lie, and something is definitely keeping my interest enough to keep coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Mansfield Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 No, definately not boring - it's always a pleasure to check in and see what everyone's up to, what's on people's minds, and quite often learn something new along the way. There also generally seems to be a very low level of posting something for the sake of posting something, which can mean that the board sometimes goes a bit quiet, but surely that's preferable to the boards & lists where everyone writes all the time and nobody ever reads anything that's been written ... And as for the EC being extinct: not true! Judging by the sessions and morris sides round here the EC seems to have migrated to North-West England for the winter, and very welcome they all are too. Like other shy but beautiful migrants, you just need to know where to look ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 No, definately not boring - it's always a pleasure to check in and see what everyone's up to, what's on people's minds, and quite often learn something new along the way. There also generally seems to be a very low level of posting something for the sake of posting something, which can mean that the board sometimes goes a bit quiet, but surely that's preferable to the boards & lists where everyone writes all the time and nobody ever reads anything that's been written ... And as for the EC being extinct: not true! Judging by the sessions and morris sides round here the EC seems to have migrated to North-West England for the winter, and very welcome they all are too. Like other shy but beautiful migrants, you just need to know where to look ... Any good sessions over your way Steve, all I see are Anglo players and not many of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fidjit Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 No not boring. However, a lot of us squeezers are taking our other square type boxes to Witney in two weeks. so we've been away practicing the bloody thing. We'll be back in a couple of weeks to bore the pants off you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikefule Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Forums do get less exciting the longer you are in them. There is only so much that can be asked or said about a specialised subject, and the same questions, answers and arguments will recycle. Other than that, we are waiting for "events, dear boy" because events give us something new to discuss. In the unicycle forum, it is "what size wheel?" "What length cranks?" and "Has anyone made an original comment to you (rather than "Where's your other wheel?"" In the fencing forum it's "Pistol grip or French?" and "Is epée boring?" and general disputes about the scoring equipment and the timing of the lights. I could go on, and I often do. Instead, moving on: the English concertina is far from dead. I can immediately think of several local people who play EC regularly. Indeed, the old prejudices that "Anglos are good for Morris but not much else," and "an English can't give you the rhythm you need for Morris" are well and truly laid to rest. About once a month I attend a session in which Anglo and English play together a whole variety of traditional and non traditional dance and non-dance music. And without pondering too long, I can think of three EC players who play beautifully for the dance. What have we done over the summer? Apart from practising hard as near as possible every day, and making some strides forward in left hand technique, I have started to play my Anglo in public for the dance. My baptism of fire was our Morris side's trip to Spain in which there was only one other musician, who also wanted to dance - so that had me up on stage playing for the team to dance. About once a month I try to get to a local session, and although I pick up new tunes very slowly, I find myself playing along a bit more each time. I've also been to Midland Concertina Group a couple of times, and played in front of a group of 20 or so other concertinists. Still having great fun with this instrument, and wishing I'd chosen one years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3838 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I had very disheartening encounter yesterday. I am teaching Animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. One of my class' next assignment is short dance sequence. Most commonly people bring rap music and attempt to animate hip-hop, which is hopeless animation wise. Folk music or some common dances are better, as they provide opportunities for up/down, excercisinig weight and balance, and are cycled, which makes it possible to make shorter clip reasonably (and work less). When I mentioned it to the class (25-35yo) I heard great moan and sighs: "Nooo, not the folk dance". These are the people, who will brainwash our kids with their stupid animated cartoons. Congratulations! We are boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 "Is it me ......., ...... or is C.net becoming boring?" Oh, it's you, Peter. It's definitely you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kautilya Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 "Is it me ......., ...... or is C.net becoming boring?"Oh, it's you, Peter. It's definitely you. So you wanna fight do you? OK. Why do small accordions get the crowd tapping faster and smiling more than English Concertinas at play ? (Notice I did not say anglos..... Evidence - the tinas were blown away when the quartet of accordions and melodeons started doing their stuff at Dave Lee's memorial - indeed, the tina players came alive and were tapping along ... I am going out now and may be some time...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 Why do small accordions get the crowd tapping faster and smiling more than English Concertinas at play ? "The crowd", you said. And you know how to measure a crowd mentality? You take the lowest IQ in the crowd, and divide by the number of people. 'Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 When I mentioned it to the class (25-35yo) I heard great moan and sighs: "Nooo, not the folk dance".These are the people, who will brainwash our kids with their stupid animated cartoons. Congratulations! We are boring. Well, in that case it's the right sort of boring! Cheers, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelteglow Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 (edited) In my early days as a C.net Forum member, it seemed that we used to see some very informative postings on a range of concertina-related topics. We also used to have some lively debates. The former seems to happen rarely now (have we exhausted all the possibilities?), whilst the later seems too often to degenerate into a personal level, resulting in threads being closed; as an on-looker, you can see it coming....... For most of C.net members, summer is now a fading memory, and the "dark months" are upon us. So; what did eveyone do during the summer concertina-wise (either directly, or tenuous links)? How about some sharing some experiences? For myself, hearing rumours that the concertina, in England, was an endangered species, I set out to see whether I could track down this elusive beast. I hunted high: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1541322 I hunted low: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1400525 I chose good weather for my rambles;, however, I did see one Tornado: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1443847 I'd heard rumours that they might have been spotted in Kent, but it turns out that the informants were only jousting: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1453366 I travelled overseas: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1423112 And looked in what I thought might be the most likely places: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1459920 And some of the less likely ones: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1349813 Finally, after months of endeavour, and the odd blister; following up on a "hot" tip, I found: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1494463 So; the concertina is not, yet, extinct! Hi Peter it sounds as though you have been playing the concertina for a long time but don't get bored there are many of us trying to achieved what you have learnt over the years.I for one treasure C Net as my on line tutor and mentor. I need people like you to give advice and guidance so that one day I to will be a acomplished concertina player .I as others do ,spend many hours practising the skills learned on C Net. I usually ask questions because as yet I do not have the skill to provide the answers. My latest request for advice (see Instrument Construction & Repair 34 Button Layout) I have had a brilliant reply from Chris Ghent .I would like to here what you have to say on this posting, as I beleve you play the Wheatstone system .PS I have enjoyed you items on U Tube. Hope to here from you .All The Best Bob Edited October 30, 2009 by KelTekgolow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikefule Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 "Nooo, not the folk dance".These are the people, who will brainwash our kids with their stupid animated cartoons. Congratulations! We are boring. Tell them it's urban retro ironic and they will lap it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaryK Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I had very disheartening encounter yesterday.I am teaching Animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. One of my class' next assignment is short dance sequence. Most commonly people bring rap music and attempt to animate hip-hop, which is hopeless animation wise. Folk music or some common dances are better, as they provide opportunities for up/down, excercisinig weight and balance, and are cycled, which makes it possible to make shorter clip reasonably (and work less). When I mentioned it to the class (25-35yo) I heard great moan and sighs: "Nooo, not the folk dance". These are the people, who will brainwash our kids with their stupid animated cartoons. Congratulations! We are boring. I don't think c.net is boring. Sometimes too many threads, for my taste, related to ECs, but that is just because I'm interested in the anglo. I do admire and appreciate tunes well played on the english concertina. Just not too interested in learning more about them. Also, I'm not at all interested in Morris, but again I realize many here are and that's fine. I'd never even heard of Morris dancing or sword dances until I started visiting c.net. So this website has certainly furthered my cultural education and shown me new horizons. And for what its worth, m3838, your responses and insights on this forum are NEVER boring. Keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saguaro_squeezer Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I'm bored at least once a day by checking into c.net. Not enough duet threads, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 I had very disheartening encounter yesterday.I am teaching Animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. One of my class' next assignment is short dance sequence. Most commonly people bring rap music and attempt to animate hip-hop, which is hopeless animation wise. Folk music or some common dances are better, as they provide opportunities for up/down, excercisinig weight and balance, and are cycled, which makes it possible to make shorter clip reasonably (and work less). When I mentioned it to the class (25-35yo) I heard great moan and sighs: "Nooo, not the folk dance". Perhaps they'd be more receptive if you illustrated your point with examples comparing the options provided by the different music types? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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