Hayden treble notes

[flix]

I have been playing and enjoying my new Stagi Hayden duet for the last month, and have only one concern. The right, or treble side is easily smothered by the left side, most probably due to the smaller reed size on the right side. In fact, the upper row of treble notes is so faint that only single note runs are useful with those notes, and even then, they are relatively faint and hard to hear with any background noise.

 

My question is, is this a problem with all duets, or is there a type that has double reeds or some other difference that balances the left and right sides ?

[Rod]

With the Anglo, the inherent tendency for lower left-hand notes and particularly chords to rob higher right-hand notes of their fair share of air is something which can be satisfactorily overcome by suitably subtle technique which can only be acquired through diligent practice.

[Ransom]

I was noticing the other day that my Jackie has a really nice balance between the lows and the highs. Probably better than my much-more-expensive hybrid, in fact (though the hybrid has other redeeming qualities, to be sure!) I wonder, is the Elise as nicely balanced as the Jackie? Not that I'm planning on taking up Hayden...

[Dirge]

My question is, is this a problem with all duets, or is there a type that has double reeds or some other difference that balances the left and right sides ?

 

No, it's not. They are made exactly the same as other concertinas. Maybe with your Stagi, I wouldn't know, but I suspect not even in them. It's all about working your technique out.

[Anglo-Irishman]

My question is, is this a problem with all duets, or is there a type that has double reeds or some other difference that balances the left and right sides ?

 

flix,

 

I haven't got a Stagi duet, but I have a Stagi Anglo and a Lachenal Crane duet. I agree with the previous posters: L/R balance on a duet as such is a matter of technique. Specifically, when you're playing the melody in the upper reaches of the RH, you should be chording (or playing bass runs) in the upper reaches of the LH. Playing really high RH notes and really low LH chords together should be the exception.

 

And the question occurs to me: who says that the bass drowns out the treble? You yourself personally, or some listener? At the start, I had the impression that some of the high RH notes on my Lachenal were being drowned out in certain arrangements - but when I recorded the pieces (with the mic centred between the ends) the trebles came through nicely. I assume that a live, neutral observer would have heard my melody equally well.

 

On my Stagi Anglo, the high notes, especially on the RH G-row, are rather squeaky. However, I seldom use them, because I like to play in a comfortable singing range, and I'm a baritone . So perhaps the Stagi Hayden is a bit weak up top, too?

 

Cheers,

John

[Jim Bayliss]

In general, I deal with this by either shortening or taking notes out of the left hand side. You can also lengthen and/or add chordal notes to the right side.

[m3838]

In general, I deal with this by either shortening or taking notes out of the left hand side. You can also lengthen and/or add chordal notes to the right side.

 

In Stagi it's not the left side that's bad, it's the right side. You can do very little to make those squeaky reeds sound fuller. The quality doesn't allow it. That's why Jackie is such a nice compromise, it doesn't make sense to go higher then second C with these low enders. Neither it makes sense to go too low as the air consumption gets ridiculous. So basically with Stagi you have an octave less on the right side than it claims to have.

I remember seen website claiming they are making piccolo reeds that sound really loud and full. On the picture these reed frames had some conical impression at two thirds from the reed's base. Reed shoes were a bit wider. I mentioned it to Rich Morse, but he was not interested.

[Frankevich]

I have been playing and enjoying my new Stagi Hayden duet for the last month, and have only one concern. The right, or treble side is easily smothered by the left side, most probably due to the smaller reed size on the right side. In fact, the upper row of treble notes is so faint that only single note runs are useful with those notes, and even then, they are relatively faint and hard to hear with any background noise.

 

My question is, is this a problem with all duets, or is there a type that has double reeds or some other difference that balances the left and right sides ?

 

Flix,

 

I agree with Dirge and Bayliss that the Left/Right Duet volume imbalance is a matter of changing/improving technique (such as lightening up on the left hand) but, I also am of the opinion that at least for the Stagi with which I am familiar, the left side can tend to overpower the right, and I think this is somewhat a feature of Duets in general given their very nature of physically separating low notes from high ones. (This might be a problem for some piano players as well!) Baffles of one kind or another have often been used to ease this problem (see the excellent article on baffles on the www.concertina.com web site.) I stuck some nice felt under the end plate on the left side which improved things noticeably.

 

So the advice here is maybe to try the felt, but to not worry about it as your improved techniques will eventually assist, and if you graduate to a better instrument, that should help too. And the gentleman who suggested that in any event a listener might find the sound more balanced than the player, is an interesting idea as well.

 

Good luck, Frank

Edited May 20, 2010 by Frankevich

[RatFace]

Maybe you're unlucky and the reeds on the right side are badly set, or from a batch that is of low quality?