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Regondi's Golden Exercise


Pete Dunk

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Allan Atlas has a scanned page from a manuscript book on the concertina.com website, an exercise used by Regondi which is very interesting but not too easy to read from the scan. It took quite a while but I've transcribed it to abc for ease of printing to PDF.

 

This is seriously hard work to play, Enjoy!

 

 

X:1

T:Regondi's Golden Exercise

M:4/4

L:1/8

K:C

"_1"G,"_3"B,"_2"D"_2"G "_1"_A"_3"_E"_2"C"_1"_A, |\

"_3"=A,"_1"^C"_2"E"_2"A "_4"_B"_3"F"_1"D"_4"_B, |\

"_3"=B,"_1"^D"_4"^F"_2"B "_2"c"_1"G"_3"E"_2"C |

%4

"_1"^C"_2"^E"_2"^G"_3"^c "_1"d"_2"A"_3"^F"_1"D |\

"_1"^D"_2"^^F"_1"^A"_1"^d "_2"=e"_3"B"_1"^G"_4"E |\

"_3"F"_1"A"_2"c"_2"f "_3"^f"_3"^c"_4"^A"_1"^F |

%7

"_1"G"_3"B"_2"d"_3"g "_1"_a"_2"_e"_3"c"_1"_A |\

"_2"=A"_4"^c"_1"e"_2"a "_1"_b"_3"f"_2"d"_1"_B |\

"_3"=B"_1"^d"_4"^f"_2"=b "_3"c'"_2"g"_1"e"_3"c |

%10

"_4"^c"_3"^e"_3"^g"_4"^c' "_2"d'"_2"a"_4"^f"_2"d |\

"_1"^d"_3"^^f"_1"^a"_1"^d' "_2"e'"_2"b"_4"^g"_1"e |\

"_3"f"_1"a"_2"c'"_3"f' "_2"^f'"_3"^c'"_1"^a"_4"^f |

%13

"_3"g"_1"b"_2"d'"_2"g' "_3"_a'"_2"_e'"_3"c'"_1"_a |\

"_2"=a"_4"^c'"_1"e'"_3"a' "_1"_b'"_2"f'"_3"d'"_1"_b |\

"_2"=b"_4"^d'"_1"^f'"_2"=b' "_3"c''"_2"g'"_1"e'"_3"c'|

%16

"_2"b"_4"^d'"_1"^f'"_2"b' "_1"_b'"_2"=f'"_3"=d'"_1"_b |\

"_3"a"_4"^c'"_1"e'"_3"a' "_1"_a'"_2"_e'"_3"=c'"_1"_a |\

"_3"g"_1"b"_2"d'"_2"g' "_1"_g'"_3"_d'"_2"_b"_4"_g |

%19

"_3"f"_1"a"_2"c'"_2"f' "_2"e'"_1"b"_4"^g"_2"e |\

"_1"_e"_3"g"_2"_b"_1"_e' "_3"d'"_2"a"_4"^f"_1"d |\

"_4"_d"_3"f"_1"_a"_4"_d' "_3"c'"_2"g"_1"e"_3"c |

%22

"_3"B"_1"^d"_4"^f"_2"b "_1"_b"_3"=f"_2"=d"_4"_B |\

"_1"A"_4"^c"_2"e"_2"a "_1"_a"_1"_e"_3"=c"_2"_A |\

"_1"G"_3"B"_2"d"_2"g "_3"_g"_3"_d"_4"_B"_3"_G |

%25

"_3"F"_1"A"_2"c"_2"f "_2"e"_2"B"_1"^G"_3"E |\

"_1"_E"_2"G"_3"_B"_1"_e "_2"d"_2"A"_4"^F"_1"D |\

"_1"_D"_3"F"_1"_A"_4"_d "_3"c"_2"G"_3"E"_1"C |

%28

"_3"B,"_1"^D"_4"^F"_2"B "_4"_B"_3"=F"_1"=D"_4"_B, |\

"_3"A,"_1"^C"_2"E"_2"A "_1"_A"_3"_E"_2"=C"_4"_A, |\

"_1"G,"_3"B,"_2"D"_3"B,"_2"C4 ||

 

Edited to correct ABC errors.

Edited by tallship
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  • 3 weeks later...

Many thanks for this: a sevice to humanity.

 

To save you asking, I cannot play much of this at any useful speed but the idea is to develop fingering technique. Not sure that I would use the fingers suggested by Regondi, but it is good to know that you could if you needed to.

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Ah, looks interesting, shall plug that into the 'converter' when I am home later and have more than just my NookColor to use.

 

(And.... I just now discovered that I DO have a full keyboard on this gadget and could write in ABC if I wanted. Cool!)

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I've given it a try and it will definitely be helpful. In fact, I was looking through my own pile of books recently to see if I could find some exercises to try and this fits the bill -- except that I am one of those who keeps the 4th finger on the finger rest at all times, so, I will be changing the fingering. But, it's still worth it to play. It's one of those things, it looks like, that will eventually, if painfully, fall into place and finally 'snowball' after I've played it a half-million times, and then be very easy. (I like those!)

 

As for what I have in my own collection, well, a ton of stuff. (I do have Allan Atlas' book, 'Contemplating The Concertina,' too.) What I did find recently, but gave up on, was 3-part inventions by Bach. I just don't want to bother with that on concertina. I love to hear Bach played (I have Juliette Daum's cd, too... ) but those inventions don't 'fall into place.'

 

So... I'll let you know if/when I conquer Regondi's Golden Exercise!

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One question...

 

Should the 'F' at the end of the 6th measure be an F-sharp?

 

In playing this, that's the only thing I notice that breaks the pattern of arpeggiated chords.

 

 

I only get to play the first and the last ten measures, since my Morse Albion EC only goes up to the high D. So, I simply leave out the middle ten measures!

 

Even though I don't follow the fingering as given exactly since I don't use the 4th finger, having the fingering given is still VERY helpful. I still get lost sometimes on the concertina, and so the fingering is a good clue to help me figure out where I am.

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Should the 'F' at the end of the 6th measure be an F-sharp?

I see four minor issues like this, two that appear wrong in the original (which I found here), and two that crept into the abc transcription.

 

  • The 8th note of measure 6 should be an F#.
  • The 5th note of measure 11 should be an E natural.
  • The 7th note of measure 23 should be marked as a C natural (there is a C# earlier in the measure).
  • There is a missing bar line at the end of measure 27.

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So far, can move pretty well through the upward patterns. Tomorrow will start the downwards.

 

I don't know much about grade levels in music -- my formal training has been... not much, and scattered.

 

What I am now enjoying is the ability to make sight-reading work for me. I always played by ear, but toiled (and I mean toiled) through enough dots to eventually manage to learn whatever I really wanted to do (which does not include everything!).

 

For instance, it's a blast to be able to breeze through 'Dancing With Ma Baby,' which I never could have learned all by ear. Though, it has a 'line' to it that makes it easy to remember, I think.

 

The Regondi exercise (like 'Dancing With..') 'works' for me because it's 'easy' in a sense, since I realize what it is -- chord arpeggios moving up in a 1/2-step pattern, etc.. But, yet, I know that I am actually really reading the music. I rely on the dots but I can still 'hear' it and I know what I'm doing. (Not saying I'll do a perfect performance.)

 

Other exercises are too difficult because I can't 'hear' them, at least not until after I've struggled with the dots, and by then I no longer care what they sound like!

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There are a few spots, so far, that seem to me to have incorrect fingering, as given. True, I don't even use '4,' but even considering that...

 

measure 5: I can't play the A-sharp using a 1. Wants to be 2.

 

measure 6: the last note, the F-sharp (previously corrected) doesn't work with 1. Wants to be 3.

 

measure 8: the last note, the B-flat wants to be 3 not 1.

 

(I think I've got it right that the index finger on both hands is counted as 1, middles are 2s, etc..)

 

I don't mean to sound like I'm obsessing over this because... far from it! But I am giving it a try, and so far, that's the news.

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measure 5: I can't play the A-sharp using a 1. Wants to be 2.

 

measure 6: the last note, the F-sharp (previously corrected) doesn't work with 1. Wants to be 3.

 

measure 8: the last note, the B-flat wants to be 3 not 1.

 

All these are consistent (I think... well I only checked the first one!) with it being 4 in the original, but if the copy isn't very clear then that 4 can look like a 1.

 

The original fingerer seemed to be a fan of the one-finger-per-row method, which is a bit bonkers :)

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All these are consistent (I think... well I only checked the first one!) with it being 4 in the original, but if the copy isn't very clear then that 4 can look like a 1.

I agree. All of the examples Wendy points out look like they might be (or in the case of measure 8, certainly is) a 4.

 

Tallship, it looks like you've got a little more editing to do.

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measure 5: I can't play the A-sharp using a 1. Wants to be 2.

 

measure 6: the last note, the F-sharp (previously corrected) doesn't work with 1. Wants to be 3.

 

measure 8: the last note, the B-flat wants to be 3 not 1.

 

All these are consistent (I think... well I only checked the first one!) with it being 4 in the original, but if the copy isn't very clear then that 4 can look like a 1.

 

The original fingerer seemed to be a fan of the one-finger-per-row method, which is a bit bonkers :)

 

I believe Rigondi only played with two fingers and he only used one finger per row.

The index finger for the top two rows and the next finger for the bottom two rows.

You can get the music with fingering for either two fingers or three fingers. My wife

plays it as an exercise with three fingers which is now the most common way of playing

an EC.

 

Using only one finger per row is the best practice and the classical way of playing the

EC so it seems strange to describe it as bonkers. I would describe as normal.

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Tallship, it looks like you've got a little more editing to do.

 

Ok, I'll buy a large magnifying glass! I printed the original scan to work from as I hate reading things like that on screen. Chances are that the print out wasn't too good on an ink jet and the scan was pretty awful to start with!

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Scrolling to the bottom of this page shows the same exercise with fingering for three finger playing only, as advocated by Allan Atlas. I won't be transcribing that too!

 

Aha! As I'd thought, this is included in Allan Atlas' book, 'Contemplating The Concertina - An Historically-Informed Tutor For The English Concertina.'

 

I also remember that the last time I picked up this book and looked through it, I was much less skilled on my concertina. And, I found a note-to-self that I'd penciled-in, above the first exercise, that says, in effect, "Do things my way first, then do this."

-- That's exactly what I've done. (Gee, it's a good feeling to know you did what you told yourself to do.... ) I have spent time working on becoming more familiar with the concertina keyboard, and I've worked on playing scales in all keys. NOW I am ready to sight-read musical exercises related to such, without feeling like I'm finding my way through the dark. So... I guess I can thank you, Tallship, for this enlightenment.

 

 

 

I have quite a library of music books, concertina books, CDs, etc.. I admit, it's a bit of an obsession. I just had to buy another bookcase (have yet to assemble it). But, oddly enough, there aren't many that I really over-indulge in.

 

And then, there are all the cookbooks... another obsession... and I am scheduled to get yet another tooth yanked out, so the food prospects are getting dimmer all the time. Guess I'll read up on those smoothies... just got a book on those, too...

 

 

 

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  • The 8th note of measure 6 should be an F#.
  • The 5th note of measure 11 should be an E natural.
  • The 7th note of measure 23 should be marked as a C natural (there is a C# earlier in the measure).

Scrolling to the bottom of this page shows the same exercise with fingering for three finger playing only, as advocated by Allan Atlas. I won't be transcribing that too!

Looks like Allan agreed with me that there were two errors in the Alsepti transcription, as he made the corrections I did in measures 6 and 23. Curiously, he even made my correction in measure 11 (marking the E natural), although it wasn't necessary.

 

Edited for clarity.

Edited by David Barnert
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