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Completely new to Concertina,


Panic

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Hello all! I recently purchased my first Concertina, it's a lovely little 20 button Gremlin. The issue I have is this purchase coincides with being made unemployed, so, where my intention was to get Lessons, this has now become unviable due to tutors being few, far between and expensive.

 

So I want to know what the best online resources for me to use are? I'm not too great at reading sheet music, let alone translating it to an instrument, [i was a drummer until recently]

 

I am a massive fan of Victoriana, so want to eventually work up to Music Hall style songs, or Gypsy style folk stuff.

 

I know Concertina.com has a wealth of scanned books, but it's a case of knowing where to start, so I ask you lovely people of Concertina.net, where do I start?

 

Please don't flame me if I've said something stupid here, but please let me know if I've said anything 'wrong'

 

 

Thankyou all for your time, and I eagerly await your responce.

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Hello,I'm new to it too,you should have the advantage of good timing though,being a drummer.If you know any guitar players ask them to record a few backing tracks and 'feel' your way around them.I can't read music and have played by ear for years(on guitar),the concertina has inspired me to learn.It might take ages but so does anything worth doing.

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Hello biggrin.gif

Even if you're not interested in Morris dance it might be worth getting in touch with your nearest side ( this link is to the 'side finder' map http://www.morrisdan...der/sfcgi.html? ) or Folk Club as there may be someone who knows of an Anglo player near you who might be happy to give you some help.

Edited by anlej
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You've done the hard bit - buying an instrument! There are loads of online resources for finding tunes, such as:

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/traditional-music/

and there are some amazing resources at:

http://www.bushtraditions.org/tutors/concertina.htm

For a list of tutor books, see:

http://www.concertina.com/merris/bibliography/anglo-tutors.htm

And have a play around on the box sing the same row on both sides and swapping bellows direction - you might just come up with a tune without even trying!

Do not hesitate to post questions on concertina.net - everybody started sometime and everyone will be willing to try to help.

Believe, and enjoy!

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Hi Panic

 

There are a few good online resources for beginners to get started on an Anglo concertina. Here are two in no special order.

 

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

 

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

 

Think of reading sheet music as the ultimate tab, that works with any instrument. Simple tunes in the beginning. It's not really that difficult.

 

Thanks

Leo

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Topic cheerfully moved.

 

Mick Bramich's Absolute Beginner's Concertina book uses tab rather than notation, has started off a couple of people that I know.

 

Welcome to the madness.

 

Ken

 

Snagged me a copy of this after reading a load of glowing reviews on Amazon n such, a lot of folks critisised it as 'too simple' but that sounds a bit ideal to me in all honesty!!

 

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

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It's a good starting point for finding your way around the instrument. I enjoyed working my way through it.

 

From memory I think it spends a lot of time playing the tune on the left hand side of the instrument. This is not a problem, but if you're going into song or English music you might want to explore playing chords more on the left and the tune more on the right hand side. I made this change after our very own Chris Timson very generously gave me some of his time to take me through some basics - but then my main interest is English & Morris music which seems to suit this approach. If you've developed a decent grounding through the Bramich book you won't find making any such adjustments later very difficult.

 

After the book you've currently got I'd recommend that you seriously consider moving on to Bertram Levy's Anglo Concertina Demystified. Although written for a 30 button Anglo, most of it is still appropriate to the 20 and as you work through the exercises you get a glimpse of different styles of playing on Anglo - e.g. Morris, Irish, etc

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  • 2 weeks later...

English tunes are just great for starting. Try The Dorset Four Hand Reel and a couple of Morris Tunes, Young Collins and Princess Royal. Always start practice by playing scales slowly and accurately. I assume you have C/G instrument.

Play the scale of C major on the left hand side crossing onto the G row for the top B and C, and then the right hand in the same way. Then start practicing in octaves with both hands at the same time. You will be pleased how quickly this comes to you if you can give it half an hour a day. Remember - there is NO substitute for practicing scales, intervals and other fundamentals such as triads etc. ALWAYS start your practice with these before going onto tunes

Have Fun!

Matt (West Somerset UK)

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Remember - there is NO substitute for practicing scales, intervals and other fundamentals such as triads etc. ALWAYS start your practice with these before going onto tunes

Have Fun!

Matt (West Somerset UK)

 

 

This has been aired a few times now; I'm not the only Cnetter who is convinced that time spent on scales is dull and playing real music instead teaches you just as much and is much more fun. I do agree completely with Matt though that a practice regime IS vital, and 1/2hr daily, rigid, immutable; 'No I'll have to go later I've got to practice first' is where I started and every day and no excuses is the real key.

 

These days I usually do 2 hours and guess what? None of that time is scales.

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English tunes are just great for starting. Try The Dorset Four Hand Reel and a couple of Morris Tunes, Young Collins and Princess Royal.

 

 

I wouldn't put it like that!

IMO the best tunes to start on are tunes that you know, of whatever nationality they are. Learning an instrument is difficult enough, without having to learn new tunes at the same time. Using tunes that you already know has the advantage that you can monitor your progress - you'll hear whether you're playing the right notes or the wrong notes!

 

Cheers,

John

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English tunes are just great for starting. Try The Dorset Four Hand Reel and a couple of Morris Tunes, Young Collins and Princess Royal.

 

 

I wouldn't put it like that!

IMO the best tunes to start on are tunes that you know, of whatever nationality they are. Learning an instrument is difficult enough, without having to learn new tunes at the same time. Using tunes that you already know has the advantage that you can monitor your progress - you'll hear whether you're playing the right notes or the wrong notes!

 

Cheers,

John

 

John, I agree with you. As a beginner, the tunes you know and love are the best to start on. Even children's ditties... if you have a fond place in your heart for those melodies, they are very good for starting. Having the tune in your ear and finding the notes on your 'tina through the hunt and peck method is a grand way to start.

 

So, Panic... what little tunes do you know? Don't be shy.

Edited by Jody Kruskal
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These days I usually do 2 hours and guess what? None of that time is scales.

 

Why can't you do both, Dirge? I find it particularly useful, sometimes, to spend a bit of time practising playing the scales in keys I am not familiar with, in order to 'get to know' where to put my fingers, before attempting to play a tune in that key. It's horses for courses, I guess. :)

 

Chris

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Hello all! I recently purchased my first Concertina, it's a lovely little 20 button Gremlin. The issue I have is this purchase .

plug in here for Swansea region

Sia Nol Sia Mlan webpage http://www.sesiwn.org/

 

and also expand description under the youtube video box below for various contacts and DO plan to go to Oct 2011 Ystradgynlais weekend (free)and lots of lifts and even floors to sleep on at push!

 

Watch the other Ystrad videos to see why - there is room for every instrument at every level and by then, with spare time on your hands you should be whizzing along and earning a new living busking!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrrkUkEdJGY

 

ps there are also two new little, cheap, welsh tune and song books out three months back - from the Welsh bookshop in Merthyr

"Siop y Ganolfan". Remind him (Phyl)HE was at Ystradgynlais weekend and he might knock a few bob off. Dont have the titles as someone borrowedd them t'other night but he will know or you can borrow from library as should have reached there by now.

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These days I usually do 2 hours and guess what? None of that time is scales.

 

Why can't you do both, Dirge? I find it particularly useful, sometimes, to spend a bit of time practising playing the scales in keys I am not familiar with, in order to 'get to know' where to put my fingers, before attempting to play a tune in that key. It's horses for courses, I guess. :)

 

Chris

 

Generally I don't practice scales as such. I went through that doing recorder grades and never felt it achieved very much. You can practice scales and arpeggios very effectively by playing tunes as they figure in many, many tunes.

 

I do agree, with the above, that playing scales can be useful if you have a need to play in a key that is unfamiliar to you in order to find where you fingers need to go. Once you have that basically sorted out, however, I find it is more productive then to work on the piece itself and to find the necessary notes in a practical situation rather than as a dry exercise.

 

At the end of the day, you have to find a way that works best for you. I do agree with the suggestions that regular daily practice is the best way forward. 1/2 hour every day is much more effective than four hours once a week. Not that I'm a paragon in that respect, but I do try to play something every day. Not always concertina as I play other instruments as well.

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There are days when I'm not really in the mood for playing the current study pieces yet again. I give myself a holiday by practising playing by ear, or sightreading new music, or anything really, as long as it's still concertina time. I completely agree with Chris and Geoff, it's got to be what works for you, but I keep my practice regime intact this way, I 'have a day off' but I still practice. It works for me...

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