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Anglo players - how/what do you play?


  

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Basically I want to know if you play English Style or Irish Style (but don't want an argument starting over what constitutes each). I would also like to know what genre/tunes/songs you play on it. And how what you play affects how you play?

There is a reason behind this....which I'll explain later.

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Never having set up a poll, I don't know the answer to this: is it possible to adjust things to let the second question accept more than one response? Most of my playing has been Morris and English country dance music, but I do also play some traditional American tunes...

 

Also, I'll swear I only clicked on the "Tune RH, Chords LH" button, but it apportioned my vote evenly between that and the "Tune RH, Octaves LH" response...

 

This concludes today's Polling Software Gripe. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

jdms

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I haven't done a poll for ages...so not sure how it all works. Just post your answer as a reply... ;)

I'd much prefer that...get some more detail.

Edited by LDT
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Also, I'll swear I only clicked on the "Tune RH, Chords LH" button, but it apportioned my vote evenly between that and the "Tune RH, Octaves LH" response...

 

No, your vote was counted properly. But after it counts your vote, it shows you the running total, which at the time was: your vote for tune/chords, LDT's vote for Tune/Octaves, and my non-vote because I don't play Anglo. So you saw the vote split evenly.

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Those that play RH melody LH octaves or chords...do you feel restricted with repertoire or do you easily swap to playing in row to fit tunes in?

I get fed up of looking through tunebooks and no being able to play 90% all on the RH.

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Hi LDT yes it is anoying that we can't just play in a chosen style for any piece of music.I prefer to play harmony

but have to play just the melody (across rows)at times.I play for Morris and find if I can't play the cords with melody I just try to play extra notes that fit the music. If I was not playing in company with others I could choose the Key to be played for the dancers.To accompany my singing I use often just cords .So the answer to your question is yes I use both styles .Bob

Edited by KelTekgolow
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I voted other and other as the options are too restrictive to describe any style.

 

The range and layout of a typical anglo is such that you have to play tunes on both sides or seriously cramp you repetoire. The same goes with accompaniment be it chords or octaves.

 

In terms of styles of music all the above, except pop. I also play some classic and jazz.

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I voted other and other as the options are too restrictive to describe any style.

 

 

ditto.... biggrin.gif

 

 

Melody over both sides and across the rows with chords dotted in now and then along and across rows.

 

Music played includes Morris, English country dance, Playford, some O'Carolan, a bit of Welsh, the odd tango, music hall, Scottish and a few French, Finnish and Swedish tunes.

 

Lord alone knows what sort of playing style it would be described as biggrin.gif

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Basically I want to know if you play English Style or Irish Style (but don't want an argument starting over what constitutes each). I would also like to know what genre/tunes/songs you play on it. And how what you play affects how you play?

There is a reason behind this....which I'll explain later.

I haven't voted... at least not yet. You provided "other" buttons, but no "more than one of the above" buttons. In my case, I think I would spread myself thinly over "all of the above" (including "other") in answer to both questions. I can't imagine restricting myself to only one particular style.

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I haven't voted because the options you offer don't really fit what I do with mine.

 

I accompany myself singing and for that I tend to play much of the time on the left hand but going over to the right as needed and across the rows to get the harmonies I want to suit the song.

 

When I play tunes, it's generally single note going from left to right hand as needed and cross the rows to get the desired flow to the melody. However I tend to prefer harmonica or flute for tunes.

 

I play in a wind band where I am playing in parts which means single note and the parts often take me to places the that other tunes don't normally reach - which means I am gradually getting to know my way round the instrument better.

 

On my own I sing and play mainly English Folk songs/tunes and with the wind band it's a mixture; mainly arrangements of popular music and light classics.

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I play ACCROSS the rows (which is not listed as an option), and I do NOT play melody only. I play melody and chords with the left hand, and the melody also goes up on the right hand with some chords on the right as well. I do octave above the melody, and also do octaves below the melody. I consider myself an Irish musician, though I have dabbled with RH-melody/LH-chords in the British style. As I said, I play across the rows, but will play in the rows as it suits me. I mainly play in G, D, A, C, F, and then various modal and non-modal minor keys. Here is a link to my typical style:

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Across the rows, with the melody mainly on the right hand but sometimes falling onto the left hand, and with the left hand playing accompaniment. My left hand concentrates on bass notes with part chords more often than full chords. And I sometimes play part chords on the right hand. Mainly Morris/English tunes.

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Basically I want to know if you play English Style or Irish Style (but don't want an argument starting over what constitutes each). I would also like to know what genre/tunes/songs you play on it. And how what you play affects how you play?

There is a reason behind this....which I'll explain later.

 

All musical instruments have their individual limitations. Up to a point you can have a stab at playing anything on an Anglo, in any style, using any appropriate method you care to choose, provided that the tunes/melodies are firmly implanted in your head at the outset, that you have acquired sufficient manual dexterity to fully exploit the full possibilities of the instrument and, of course, that you are satisfied with the end result. Those possibilities are of course always governed by the practical limitations of the Anglo, but this applies equally well to any other musical instrument.

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Did the music you wanted to play make you play a certain way, or did the style you chose affect what tunes/songs you play?

 

What a nice, clear question, Milady!

 

It was definitely the music I wanted to play that made me play the way I do.

 

I must add that when I got my first Anglo, a 20-button Klingenthaler, it was just for my own enjoyment. This meant two things: first, nobody influenced the kind of music I played, so I played whatever came into my head; second, I was not part of an ensemble, so I had to make the music complete in itself, with both melody and harmony.

I've since realised that this is the strong suit of the Anglo - as long as you get to choose the key, you can play almost anything satisfactorily - and so I've kept my style and repertoire since upgrading to a 30-button.

 

What's "almost anything"? For me, that's mostly the tunes of songs that I know. Folk songs, mainly Irish or Scottish, but some English as well; forebitters and shanties (not a cliche - most of them fit the Anglo very well); comic songs; Victorian hymn tunes; Scottish psalm tunes; Gospel songs; slow airs; a jig ot two; Carolan pieces; a couple of song tunes I wrote myself.

Elaborate classical music I find not so suitable - but perhaps that's only my lack of technique!

 

The style of playing with which I can play all these is based on the concept that the Anglo has only three continuous rows of buttons, each starting with the low LH notes and ending with the high RH notes. With very few exceptions, my melodies all cross the divide between RH and LH at some point, and quite a few harmonisations involve two notes - often parallel thirds - in the RH (with or without LH notes). I use a reduced version of these arrangements when accompanying my singing.

Playing instrumentals with my group, I also simplify. Either single-line melody over the guitars, or only chords under the fiddle.

 

As you can see, none of this fits into the poll categories - but now you konw, anyway. It's been a very interesting thread - thanks for asking!:)

 

Cheers,

John

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If I find that I am suffering from 'tunes in the head', I try to see whether I can work them out on the concertina. Any that work might get added to the repertoire.

 

I don't suffer as badly as I used to, so don't often feel the need nowadays.

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