Fast single-line melody on duet concertinas

[Boney]

is that a wakker hayden? it has a wonderful tone.....

Yes, a Wakker 46-button. As you can see on his web site, the overlap is from middle C to the B above it: http://www.wakker-concertinas.com/H-1.htm

[ceemonster]

very intriguing....i was wondering about the overlap because if the right hand had to do all of the melody playing, or the great majority of it, one (or, this particular one, namely myself) would not be able to sustain that for a lively several-hour session of reels. c-system chromatic button accordion treble-side soundboard ergonomics permit that, of course but i don't really see it with one side of a concertina. i can't really tell from your video if your right hand is doing more of the job than it would do on, say, anglo.

 

 

i was looking at the charts of the various duets after that other thread, and noted that hayden seemed to be the one that had the most overlap, which suggested it might indeed be possible to do melody playing with a bilateral distribution of about par with anglo (which does share with duet a loose bass-left/treble-right configuration, but has enough bilateralism to allow sustained melodic performance)...or must the right side shoulder a lot more of the burden even on hayden (i'm assuming here a scenario where you are reserving your left side for playing single meody music, or largely that, so it is not tied up with bass chords and is free to use for sharing the burden of very rapid, fluid melody playing via the overlapping melody notes)? reels, ragas, who knows.....

Edited August 8, 2011 by ceemonster

[Geoff Wooff]

Has anyone here played both the slanted and the straight versions of Wakker Haydens and what do they think ?

I haven't, but Jim Bayliss posted about it a while back: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=9125

 

 

Many thanks for the link to that discussion Boney.... I guess the jury is still out on the 'Slant' issue.

 

Regarding the 'Fast melody' playing on Duets question... many of us await the arrival of 'Duet International' to see what the current crop of players are favouring in the way of tune types.

 

Boney, you should be commended for bravery for tackling this speed issue in public. I find it most interesting as I do hope to use the Duet for dance band playing ( but maybe not ITM sessions) which is the major musical focus in our household.

 

Keep up the good work,

Geoff.

[Alan Day]

I get very frustrated reading the points raised as to the capabilities of the Duet system when I have passed all you need to know over to Graham Bradshaw for the Duet International 3CD set. I am pushing for November release and I will let you have an update on that, it is at least going to happen.

Al

[ceemonster]

[boney, you should be commended for bravery for tackling this speed issue in public] agreed, but i don't understand why it is a sensitive issue that requires being "tackled" or requires bravery. i now gather that it does, but what i don't understand is why. a fiddler has a right to say, i'll have to pass on that violin if it won't play very fast dance music as well as relaxed-speed music, without ticking people off. what is it with this???

Edited August 8, 2011 by ceemonster

[Boney]

Playing too fast for one's ability is a very common fault, a phase it seems most players must pass through (and some never do). I clearly play too fast for my ability on this clip. It pushes buttons. Those who are struggling to overcome the temptation too play too quickly themselves are especially sensitive to it, and if they see someone else committing that sin (often, even more galling, without knowing they are!), it can be quite annoying. On the other side of the coin, you HAVE to do something badly before you can do it well. You have to push your speed to slowly improve. You have to play ornaments badly (over and over) before you can play them well. The trick is to play comfortably within yourself in public, and do those exercises away from sensitive ears. But my video was by design an exercise, not a performance, so that's what it sounds like.

[ceemonster]

well, you are being very gracious. no one advocated playing fast badly, or advocated high-speed playing as a be-all end-all. the question was, are duet concertinas, or is any duet concertina, well-suited to playing single-line melody music rapidly, and i remain stymied as to why that should be a loaded issue. if someone asked, is the argentine bandoneon well-suited to playing irish dance music with the tulla ceili band on a west clare summer eve under the marquee at the eigse crotty festival when they are flyin' it a good thirty percent faster than the reel speed on their recordings, the answer would be, NO. and if you needed or wanted an instrument capable of doing that as well as playing chordal tango at a nice relaxed march speed, you would save yourself gobs of money and headache by not purchasing a bandoneon to try to do it on, and there is nothing offensive or sensitive about wanting to spend your five-grand-plus on something that will do what you want and need. same with duet. anyway, now i'm interested in both ec and duet...

[Geoff Wooff]

[boney, you should be commended for bravery for tackling this speed issue in public] agreed, but i don't understand why it is a sensitive issue that requires being "tackled" or requires bravery. i now gather that it does, but what i don't understand is why. a fiddler has a right to say, i'll have to pass on that violin if it won't play very fast dance music as well as relaxed-speed music, without ticking people off. what is it with this???

 

 

Ceemonster,

I suggest the bravery commendation because ,whilst so many of us talk about our issues there are very very few of us who are prepared to go public with recordings/videos which might come in for some criticism.David Levine's comments were unhelpfull in this context.

 

Mr. Boney is trying to be helpfull and has taken time and effort to do this. Many of us, I would think, are looking for the "one fits all" Concertina.... that is those of us who wish to play a variety of musical styles. Jeff Leff is one of the very few Hayden players that are putting performances on the Web. Try a search on Youtube for Maccann players... there are precious few.... a few more on the Crane and Jeffries systems....

 

I am just trying to say that I find Boney's contributions very interesting too... and look forward to more.

 

Best regards to all,

Geoff

[tony]

‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ or ‘William Tall Overture’ on a duet, anyone?