Concertaina Music

[Captain Jim]

I have just recently purchased a anglo. I have already taught myself a couple of songs. I play the hamonica and there are many sites to get harmonica tab. I can take any song with harmonica tab and play it on the concertina. With both hands. It is so simple...but I have no idea what to do if it is not in harmonica tab. I play the guitar but guitar tab does not help me with the Concertina. I have been to Concertinamusic.com and there are tons of free sheet music but I don't understand any of it. If concertina tab was laid out like harmonica tab it would seem to be so simple. I guess I need to get a beginners DVD. Which would be a good one to start. I am a pirate so The Seaman's Concertina DVD seems to be one I might should get. But does it teach you any songs? Or what about Learn to Play Irish Concertina - John Williams. I want to learn to play Sea Shanties. Can someone direct where to go or what to get. Thanks anyone. Jim

[Leo]

Hey Captain

 

Yeah, happens that way. concertinamusic.com is for another type of concertina that's big, square, has lots of buttons, and is usually used for polka music in the Upper Midwest of the US. It's called a chemnitzer. Unfortunately the Anglo type has no tab that I know of. Have you considered learning to read music. It's about as complicated as learning a new tab system, and it's the ultimate tab. It works on everything.

 

There are two sites of our members that are helpful for a start until they find the best way for them to learn.

 

One is here:

http://www.concertinaman.com/concertina-tutorial/

click on the words "Concertina Tutorial Sheet Music"

 

The other is:

http://petertrimming.webs.com/teachyourselfanglo.htm

 

If you've had success with harmonica tab, and know a few tunes, then it might just be the place to start, since it's familiar. Can't argue with success.

 

How well do you play by ear?

 

Thanks

Leo

 

P.S. If you like sea shanties, there are a few here:

http://www.folkinfo.org/abcprojects/projectdetail.php?fileid=6

Edited March 15, 2010 by Leo

[m3838]

I have just recently purchased a anglo. I have already taught myself a couple of songs. I play the hamonica and there are many sites to get harmonica tab. I can take any song with harmonica tab and play it on the concertina. With both hands. It is so simple...but I have no idea what to do if it is not in harmonica tab. I play the guitar but guitar tab does not help me with the Concertina. I have been to Concertinamusic.com and there are tons of free sheet music but I don't understand any of it. If concertina tab was laid out like harmonica tab it would seem to be so simple. I guess I need to get a beginners DVD. Which would be a good one to start. I am a pirate so The Seaman's Concertina DVD seems to be one I might should get. But does it teach you any songs? Or what about Learn to Play Irish Concertina - John Williams. I want to learn to play Sea Shanties. Can someone direct where to go or what to get. Thanks anyone. Jim

 

Reading music with Anglo is very easy. Diatonic tunes fall on the buttons simply, so if you decide to learn to read music, it will not be a major undertaking. Take "Anglo Concertina Demistified" and you'll be set. If you want to skip learning music and want tabs, why not continue using those harmonica tabs then?

[Captain Jim]

I have just recently purchased a anglo. I have already taught myself a couple of songs. I play the hamonica and there are many sites to get harmonica tab. I can take any song with harmonica tab and play it on the concertina. With both hands. It is so simple...but I have no idea what to do if it is not in harmonica tab. I play the guitar but guitar tab does not help me with the Concertina. I have been to Concertinamusic.com and there are tons of free sheet music but I don't understand any of it. If concertina tab was laid out like harmonica tab it would seem to be so simple. I guess I need to get a beginners DVD. Which would be a good one to start. I am a pirate so The Seaman's Concertina DVD seems to be one I might should get. But does it teach you any songs? Or what about Learn to Play Irish Concertina - John Williams. I want to learn to play Sea Shanties. Can someone direct where to go or what to get. Thanks anyone. Jim

 

Reading music with Anglo is very easy. Diatonic tunes fall on the buttons simply, so if you decide to learn to read music, it will not be a major undertaking. Take "Anglo Concertina Demistified" and you'll be set. If you want to skip learning music and want tabs, why not continue using those harmonica tabs then?

 

Learning to read music I guess is what I need to do. But in the mean time I am learning tons of songs for harmonica tab...it's just that there are many songs I can not find in harmonica tab that I want to learn. Thanks for your help I will get Demistified.

[Captain Jim]

Hey Captain

 

Yeah, happens that way. concertinamusic.com is for another type of concertina that's big, square, has lots of buttons, and is usually used for polka music in the Upper Midwest of the US. It's called a chemnitzer. Unfortunately the Anglo type has no tab that I know of. Have you considered learning to read music. It's about as complicated as learning a new tab system, and it's the ultimate tab. It works on everything.

 

There are two sites of our members that are helpful for a start until they find the best way for them to learn.

 

One is here:

http://www.concertinaman.com/concertina-tutorial/

click on the words "Concertina Tutorial Sheet Music"

 

The other is:

http://petertrimming.webs.com/teachyourselfanglo.htm

 

If you've had success with harmonica tab, and know a few tunes, then it might just be the place to start, since it's familiar. Can't argue with success.

 

How well do you play by ear?

 

Thanks

Leo

 

P.S. If you like sea shanties, there are a few here:

http://www.folkinfo.org/abcprojects/projectdetail.php?fileid=6

 

Thanks for all your suggestions. I will start checking them out right away. I can pick up some tunes pretty good by ear and I know I need to start learning to read music...but I am just puzzled by the fact that there is not an aricive of concertina tab like harmonica tab. I know nothing in life is easy.....but reading harmonica tab and playing the same song on the concertina is so easy....why is there not more of it? They both play the same way. Push, Draw. I know I am new to this and do not understand it all as of yet but am dertermined. I am just sharing my thoughts....Glad you shared yours. Jim

[Kautilya]

I have just recently purchased a anglo. I have already taught myself a couple of songs. I play the hamonica and there are many sites to get harmonica tab. I can take any song with harmonica tab and play it on the concertina. With both hands. It is so simple...but I have no idea what to do if it is not in harmonica tab. I play the guitar but guitar tab does not help me with the Concertina. I have been to Concertinamusic.com and there are tons of free sheet music but I don't understand any of it. If concertina tab was laid out like harmonica tab it would seem to be so simple. I guess I need to get a beginners DVD. Which would be a good one to start. I am a pirate so The Seaman's Concertina DVD seems to be one I might should get. But does it teach you any songs? Or what about Learn to Play Irish Concertina - John Williams. I want to learn to play Sea Shanties. Can someone direct where to go or what to get. Thanks anyone. Jim

Be nice if u could kindly list the URLs you have found with harmonica tab.

tks

[drbones]

 

Greetin's Cap'n,

Here's a coupla sites worth pillagin' for Lyrics, sheet music, midi files and the like.

 

 

http://theseashanty.net

http://shanty.rendance.org

[CaryK]

I have just recently purchased a anglo. I have already taught myself a couple of songs. I play the hamonica and there are many sites to get harmonica tab. I can take any song with harmonica tab and play it on the concertina. With both hands. It is so simple...but I have no idea what to do if it is not in harmonica tab. I play the guitar but guitar tab does not help me with the Concertina. I have been to Concertinamusic.com and there are tons of free sheet music but I don't understand any of it. If concertina tab was laid out like harmonica tab it would seem to be so simple. I guess I need to get a beginners DVD. Which would be a good one to start. I am a pirate so The Seaman's Concertina DVD seems to be one I might should get. But does it teach you any songs? Or what about Learn to Play Irish Concertina - John Williams. I want to learn to play Sea Shanties. Can someone direct where to go or what to get. Thanks anyone. Jim

Be nice if u could kindly list the URLs you have found with harmonica tab.

tks

 

Just Google "harmonica tabs" and you'll get lots of sites. But like the concertina, you'll find there are several tablature systems folks use. Some are harmonica tablature annotated onto standard notation sheet music and other examples involve variations of symbols and numbers to indicate which hole to draw or blow to get the appropriate note. Sometimes the appropriate note isn't even shown, just the hole number and whether to blow or draw. No magic with tablature. It can help you learn where notes are at first, but ultimately you don't want to depend on tablature, because then you'll need to "notate" all your lyrics or sheet music with it. Better I think to learn standard notation as soon as possible and use your ear to memorize the tune starting from that.

[Kautilya]

Better I think to learn standard notation as soon as possible and use your ear to memorize the tune starting from that.

Ta!

[m3838]

Better I think to learn standard notation as soon as possible and use your ear to memorize the tune starting from that.

Ta!

 

Tablature systems are useful for key oriented diatonic instruments. You learn to read on G/C accordion (or C/G Anglo), but what if you you have D/G accordion (or G/D Anglo)? relearn the tune from scratch? That's where tabs are handy. Not the case for English concertina or Chromatic accordion (with reservations), but for diatonic instruments is a must. However it seems like most of the tunes are written and tabbed for specific key, specific instrument, specific genre etc.

So if you are into playing with others, and those others are of regular mindset, you'll do just as well by reading the music. In my case I had G/C Hohner, but the music I was learning from was for D/G Melodeon. Tabs were very handy for me. Incidentally when I obtained A/D Hohner, I got the C/G French book. Again, great tabs did help. Etc. You get the idea.

May be in 30 Button Anglo Concertina there is not much variety of keys, so tabs are not of importance.

[michael sam wild]

The Seaman's Concertina by John Townley (Anglo tutorial) is regularly oneBay an it teaches songs as well as playing.

 

Shanties weren't sung to concertina but they are now! See Dan Worrall's book on the concertina at sea.

Edited March 18, 2010 by michael sam wild

[hjcjones]

I am just puzzled by the fact that there is not an aricive of concertina tab like harmonica tab. I know nothing in life is easy.....but reading harmonica tab and playing the same song on the concertina is so easy....why is there not more of it? They both play the same way. Push, Draw. I know I am new to this and do not understand it all as of yet but am dertermined. I am just sharing my thoughts....Glad you shared yours. Jim

If you search this site you'll find several discussions about tab. One problem is there is no agreed system for anglo tab - there isn't even a standard convention for numbering the buttons. The other problem is that concertina tab isn't very intuitive. Guitar tab gives you a picture of the fretboard with the number of the fret to be played. Harmonica tab appears to be a simple row of numbers, and is fairly easy to understand at a glance. With concertina tab you really need to sit down and work out each fingering, especially where chords are concerned.

 

Also, concertina keyboards vary - there are two main layouts (Wheatstone and Jeffries) but individual instruments may have their own idiosyncrasies, especially outside the core 30 buttons - so a published tab may not work fully on your instrument.

 

The main reason however is probably that there isn't seen to be a need. Rather than putting in all the work necessary to learn and understand a tab system, most players prefer to learn to read conventional notation, which is far more useful. Many anglo players play by ear, and don't need music (some will use a version of tab to note the fingering of difficult phrases, but I suspect few bother to write out whole tunes in tab). Huge numbers of folk tunes are available online using plain text, a system called ABC, and free software is available which will convert ABC text to conventional notation and play it back, so it's easy to find tunes, play them back and then learn them by ear.

 

Any tab system suffers from the drawback that you need to already know the tune - simple tab doesn't convey time values. True, tab systems may include information similar to conventional notation to convey time values - but if you can read that, why not just read conventional notation? And if you already know the tune, why not play it by ear? The anglo is very well suited to playing by ear.

 

If you're wanting to accompany shanties then you'll probably want to play chords. Chords are very easy on the anglo - you might like to look at Roger Digby's article "Faking it" about chords on the anglo. The tutor books for playing Irish-style will probably focus mainly on playing tunes as single-line melodies with few chords, which isn't very well suited to accompanying songs.

 

If you haven't already come across it, you might be interested in Rhomylly Forbes' article Pirates and concertinas

[michael sam wild]

There's a very well informed and fascinating discussion or two on shanties at Mudcat Cafe at the moment which is using digital sources much as Dan Worrall has in his book. See his chapter on The Concertina at Sea.

 

Despite Dan's pretty conclusive evidence that concertinas weren't used to accompany shanties ( although fiddles and fifes were documneted) I'm sure the use of concertina and other instruments to accompany song and dance at sea and on shore would cross fertilise with work songs so concertina tunes like hymns, minstrel songs, sentimental parlour songs Irish and other polkas and quadrilles which were the rage at the time of its peak popularity must have got into the shanty singer's art.

 

4/4 time seems most suited and I have found very few examples of 6/8 in African music and a lot of shanty calls and songs owe a lot to black singers adopting English to African call and response singing and chanting.( see Stan Hugill). It was part of the vibrant exchange in the Americas and in Africa.

 

One guy in the States has done a great job of recording all Hugill's shanties! On Mudcat he's Gibb Sahib , on YouTube he's HultonClint. Very informative

 

http://www.youtube.c...C/0/RVmCbsMzHrE

Edited March 27, 2010 by michael sam wild