Working with Bertram Levy's new book

[John D]

I've been working on the first study in Bertram's new book (Shoes and Stockings) for a couple of weeks, and I'm fighting two different issues.

 

The first is a general problem with air management .. I've seen players grabbing air while playing, but my air button is pretty stiff and I'm finding it difficult to push it just enough to get the bellows closed a bit (this is in the reverse-fingering version) while maintaining enough pressure to keep the note going at a more or less constant volume. I'm wondering if it might be advantageous to try and reduce the spring tension on the air button (this is on an Edgley hybrid). Up until now I've always managed to find places between notes to manage air, but with Bertram's concentration on long passages in one direction that technique is failing me ..

 

The other one is trying to play the last measure of the first part of the tune, again in the reverse-fingering version. It requires a bellows direction change in the middle of a run of 16th notes, and I'm having a hard time getting that run to sound as smooth as the forward version (which is all on the pull and very smooth). Again, are there any tricks to bellows direction change to offer a relative beginner?

 

thanks - John D

[david_boveri]

well, the air problem is probably your fault, and not the concertina's. there is nothing wrong with the way the air button is set up on an edgley.

 

try this: flll up the instrument all the way with air. then, press a C (on the right hand, first button). while pressing the C, try to press the air button with your thumb, and see if you can keep the sound going. the bellows will move much quicker than when you are not pressing anything. then, try isolating the notes that are in bertram's book that are giving you trouble, going through an entire bellows' worth of air on just the one note.

 

a more advanced exercise would be to press the air button randomly on a long note, trying to make the note with and without the air button depressed sound the same.

[BertramLevy]

Answer to question of sufficient air

 

John – these are great questions and I will try to answer them. The situation of running out of air is no different than a student violinist running out of bow length. True there are situations where there is not enough bellows length but every study in the book is worked out carefully to avoid that if one follows the arrangements as written.

 

Generally the reason one runs out of air is because one is searching for the next note while pressing the preceding note and using up air. The solution is not to search for the note. This is in fact the whole point of the lesson. This is so important that I need to say it again. The solution is not to search for the next note. If your fingers are in position for the entire phrase before you start playing the phrase it is only a question of playing them in the correct sequence. In the case of Shoes and Stocking, it means placing the fingers, for example in first measure, on G, B, C, and D. Try playing all four notes at once. Now put the fingers in the same position but don’t press the buttons. Try now to play the buttons separately in the sequence G B CC D. If you are still have air issues, play G- release, B - release, C –release and so on the notes come out short. You can practice the phrase with very short notes (staccato) and then try to play the phrase perfectly smoothly (legato). Then try to play as loud as you can. Then try to play as soft as you can and as fast as you can. The fastest you can play it is almost like playing all the notes simultaneously as described above. Each phrase should be treated as such.

 

More importantly this first lesson demonstrates the concept of visualizing the phrase first in your brain, placing the fingers in the correct position and then playing the sequence in the proper order –preparing the hand. Every phrase should be approached in this manner. It is really hard to do and takes constant practice, as we all tend to want to play the music note to note. This later technique however is a very inefficient learning process, much harder to play rapidly and harder to memorize. You are not the lone ranger, everyone experiences this tendency, myself included. Nevertheless this is the guiding principle in the book and I commend you for spending the time already to really explore this approach. It is important to make this process a habit. You will find that after the first 8 lessons, you will be miles ahead of more experienced player that search note by note.

 

As to the second question of playing the last measure of 1/16th notes where there is change in bellow direction, the same principle of preparing the hand applies. In the reverse fingering page 35 measure 4: the first notes are in the closing position – D, E, D, C, B, and G. All 5 fingers can be placed on this phrase. Push them simultaneously. The second part is in the opening position and the notes A, F#, G are all on the left hand. Play this note simultaneously. Now go back and forth between the 2 positions, playing the phrases as blocks of sound until the movement is seamless. Once you can do this with an automatic sense, you can separate the notes and play them as short notes pressing and releasing each one in the correct sequence.

 

I hope this works for you. I made of video of this first lesson and now having seen your questions; I will definitely put it on my web site when I return to the states. So thanks for bringing this to light.

 

Finally David’s comment is correct, there are times in long romantic pieces where the simultaneous use of note and air are used. While rare, it is useful and similar to the violinist moving his bow rapidly on a short phrase to prepare for the next phrase, which requires a full bow.

 

Bertram

[John D]

Thanks kindly for the reply, Bertram ..

 

Answer to question of sufficient air

 

John – these are great questions and I will try to answer them. The situation of running out of air is no different than a student violinist running out of bow length. True there are situations where there is not enough bellows length but every study in the book is worked out carefully to avoid that if one follows the arrangements as written.

 

hmm .. I don't have the issue on the forward version at all, I had assumed that the situation was caused by the fact that, on the reverse version, the ending phrase for each part requires that bellows shift from closing to opening, so that the net effect was that I'm playing more opening notes than closing (they're roughly evenly divided on the forward version).

 

Generally the reason one runs out of air is because one is searching for the next note while pressing the preceding note and using up air. The solution is not to search for the note. This is in fact the whole point of the lesson. This is so important that I need to say it again. The solution is not to search for the next note. If your fingers are in position for the entire phrase before you start playing the phrase it is only a question of playing them in the correct sequence. In the case of Shoes and Stocking, it means placing the fingers, for example in first measure, on G, B, C, and D. Try playing all four notes at once. Now put the fingers in the same position but don’t press the buttons. Try now to play the buttons separately in the sequence G B CC D. If you are still have air issues, play G- release, B - release, C –release and so on the notes come out short. You can practice the phrase with very short notes (staccato) and then try to play the phrase perfectly smoothly (legato). Then try to play as loud as you can. Then try to play as soft as you can and as fast as you can. The fastest you can play it is almost like playing all the notes simultaneously as described above. Each phrase should be treated as such.

 

So do you recommend preparing the hand and then actually resting the fingers on the relevant buttons throughout the phrase? I have a tendency to sort of slap the keys, especially as I speed up ..

 

More importantly this first lesson demonstrates the concept of visualizing the phrase first in your brain, placing the fingers in the correct position and then playing the sequence in the proper order –preparing the hand. Every phrase should be approached in this manner. It is really hard to do and takes constant practice, as we all tend to want to play the music note to note. This later technique however is a very inefficient learning process, much harder to play rapidly and harder to memorize. You are not the lone ranger, everyone experiences this tendency, myself included. Nevertheless this is the guiding principle in the book and I commend you for spending the time already to really explore this approach. It is important to make this process a habit. You will find that after the first 8 lessons, you will be miles ahead of more experienced player that search note by note.

 

Luckily I'm pretty new, having only dawdled around for a couple years before finally getting the Edgley and getting serious .. I've had some ITM lessons, and was intending to return to them this winter, but I like the approach in this book and it mirrors things I was experimenting with. My tutor would provide a tune one week which I'd learn, then would add ornamentation the next time which would force a reevaluation of the buttons available for a particular phrase. I intend on slogging my way through from start to finish, you can consider me a guinea pig

 

As to the second question of playing the last measure of 1/16th notes where there is change in bellow direction, the same principle of preparing the hand applies. In the reverse fingering page 35 measure 4: the first notes are in the closing position – D, E, D, C, B, and G. All 5 fingers can be placed on this phrase. Push them simultaneously. The second part is in the opening position and the notes A, F#, G are all on the left hand. Play this note simultaneously. Now go back and forth between the 2 positions, playing the phrases as blocks of sound until the movement is seamless. Once you can do this with an automatic sense, you can separate the notes and play them as short notes pressing and releasing each one in the correct sequence.

 

I hope this works for you. I made of video of this first lesson and now having seen your questions; I will definitely put it on my web site when I return to the states. So thanks for bringing this to light.

 

Finally David’s comment is correct, there are times in long romantic pieces where the simultaneous use of note and air are used. While rare, it is useful and similar to the violinist moving his bow rapidly on a short phrase to prepare for the next phrase, which requires a full bow.

 

Bertram

 

Got it, I'll give that exercise a try and see if it helps. Thanks so much for the hints, and I'm looking forward to video/audio!

[BertramLevy]

Bellows excursion

 

“hmm .. I don't have the issue on the forward version at all, I had assumed that the situation was caused by the fact that, on the reverse version, the ending phrase for each part requires that bellows shift from closing to opening, so that the net effect was that I'm playing more opening notes than closing (they're roughly evenly divided on the forward version).”

 

You raise an important topic which is bellows excursion. In general you should not be using the entire bellows for a phrase. Just as in a violin, the excursion of the bow (and the bellows) should be planned out in the initial arming process. How much bellows to use is worth some discussion. One should not be timid with the bellows. The bellows are the articulation of the music – not the buttons, this is the great attribute of bellows instrument such as the concertina and bandoneon. They both possess fluid bellows that can shape the phrase like the human voice (unlike for example a piano which strikes the string with a hammer). The buttons are mechanical – on or off. The fingers should be relaxed when executing the note. Whether you play loud or soft, the same touch is used on the buttons. How long your finger stays on the button determines the length of the note but does not create articulation. Articulation which comes from the word ARTE creates the expression, the accents, the phrasing and the volume; they all come entirely from the movement of the bellows. In general, accents come from wrist motion while volume comes from arm movement. Slapping the buttons really is transferring energy to bellows, which is better accomplished with the wrist. Slapping the buttons, if I understand you correctly, means loss of flexibility which ultimately slows you down. The fingers are always the same, supple and relaxed, and move from the knuckle joints.

 

 

“So do you recommend preparing the hand and then actually resting the fingers on the relevant buttons throughout the phrase? I have a tendency to sort of slap the keys, especially as I speed up ..:

 

You do not need to rest the fingers on the buttons to be used throughout the entire phrase however when visualizing a phrase the fingers should be placed initially in the shape of the phrase and centered over the buttons. In the bandoneon it is referred to as making a dibujo (drawing) or diagram of the buttons sort of like a constellation of stars in the heavens. If the fingers are sitting over the relative position of the buttons, they merely have to press the button – bang -out it comes perfect and there can be no mistakes because you are right there. Once the note is played the position can be relaxed a bit but in the small concertina, the shape is not difficult to maintain. This is especially important if the phrase returns to a note such as in measure 4 of Shoes and Stockings which ends A, F, G , F, G. What you don’t want to do is play the first note and start looking for the next note. In the first lessons it is probably best to put the fingers directly on the buttons. As you become comfortable with this process the shape can be more generalize. Nevertheless you should always know exactly where the fingers are going to be and this is best accomplished by preparing the hand for the entire phrase first. .

 

Hope this is helpful for you. Incidentally you do know that the audio of the first 8 lessons is on my web site bertramlevy.com.

 

Bertram

[John D]

 

Hope this is helpful for you. Incidentally you do know that the audio of the first 8 lessons is on my web site bertramlevy.com.

 

Bertram

 

No, I didn't! I've been checking now and then .. heading there now!

 

Thanks again!

[Lorie Tracey]

Zeke,

 

I have not taken the time to read all the replies, I just saw that you have an Edgley and that you are experiencing trouble with the air button. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. I participated in the midwest concertina camp with Noel Hill for the first time at Erlanger (sp) Kentucky. I think that it is sort of a tradition on the first night, Sunday, everyone socializes and have the opportunity to play other instruments. Many times this opens eyes about the performance of their concertina. I was one of those fortunate players that realized the heavy callous on my right thumb, directly over the spot that I performed the air button IS NOT NORMAL. I asked the question of my new acquaintance, Mr. Hill. He took my instrument and tried it out. He laughed as he said that I must need to use my feet to get it to move. Of course he was just having fun with me. Within just a few minutes he took the right side off, took out the spring for the air button, adjusted it and replace it. Vwala ! He performed a miracle for me. Now my beloved Edgley performed almost just like the Dipper I had just tried out. I was thrilled. It took several days for me to get used to the new performance it afforded me because I was not now having to work so hard to play. Others witnessed this same miracle. In fact my new friend, Mr. Hill said to me, don't let anyone tell you that the air button was your fault. Shades of Robin Williams and Matt Damion, in GOOD WILL HUNTING, "Its not your fault". Tears almost brimmed my eyes as I was now free to for give the abuse I had inflicted on my thumb theses past many months. LOL LOL. Forgive yourself and fix the **** spring, it will play excellent once you do.

[david_boveri]

Zeke,

 

I have not taken the time to read all the replies, I just saw that you have an Edgley and that you are experiencing trouble with the air button. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. I participated in the midwest concertina camp with Noel Hill for the first time at Erlanger (sp) Kentucky. I think that it is sort of a tradition on the first night, Sunday, everyone socializes and have the opportunity to play other instruments. Many times this opens eyes about the performance of their concertina. I was one of those fortunate players that realized the heavy callous on my right thumb, directly over the spot that I performed the air button IS NOT NORMAL. I asked the question of my new acquaintance, Mr. Hill. He took my instrument and tried it out. He laughed as he said that I must need to use my feet to get it to move. Of course he was just having fun with me. Within just a few minutes he took the right side off, took out the spring for the air button, adjusted it and replace it. Vwala ! He performed a miracle for me. Now my beloved Edgley performed almost just like the Dipper I had just tried out. I was thrilled. It took several days for me to get used to the new performance it afforded me because I was not now having to work so hard to play. Others witnessed this same miracle. In fact my new friend, Mr. Hill said to me, don't let anyone tell you that the air button was your fault. Shades of Robin Williams and Matt Damion, in GOOD WILL HUNTING, "Its not your fault". Tears almost brimmed my eyes as I was now free to for give the abuse I had inflicted on my thumb theses past many months. LOL LOL. Forgive yourself and fix the **** spring, it will play excellent once you do.

 

doesn't hurt to try, i guess. i never had spring problems with my edgley, but it's possible. it still doesn't address air management issues overall, as most new players have trouble managing the air button.

[Azalin]

doesn't hurt to try, i guess. i never had spring problems with my edgley, but it's possible. it still doesn't address air management issues overall, as most new players have trouble managing the air button.

 

There is no problem with Edgleys, maybe it's a specific problem, the same way any concertina from any maker can have isolated problems at times. It could also be that the handle's position is not adapted to John's hand, so with the angle and all, it's more difficult to push. I'd take a small video shot and send it to Frank, he might have a simple solution (if the instrument is the problem).

[david_boveri]

doesn't hurt to try, i guess. i never had spring problems with my edgley, but it's possible. it still doesn't address air management issues overall, as most new players have trouble managing the air button.

 

There is no problem with Edgleys, maybe it's a specific problem, the same way any concertina from any maker can have isolated problems at times. It could also be that the handle's position is not adapted to John's hand, so with the angle and all, it's more difficult to push. I'd take a small video shot and send it to Frank, he might have a simple solution (if the instrument is the problem).

 

i agree with you, but without playing the instrument i cannot say. i am biased towards always blaming the player, :-P

[Rod]

doesn't hurt to try, i guess. i never had spring problems with my edgley, but it's possible. it still doesn't address air management issues overall, as most new players have trouble managing the air button.

 

There is no problem with Edgleys, maybe it's a specific problem, the same way any concertina from any maker can have isolated problems at times. It could also be that the handle's position is not adapted to John's hand, so with the angle and all, it's more difficult to push. I'd take a small video shot and send it to Frank, he might have a simple solution (if the instrument is the problem).

 

i agree with you, but without playing the instrument i cannot say. i am biased towards always blaming the player, :-P

 

Hardly surprising that individual spring tensions make a world of difference to the 'playability' of an instrument, and the weaker third and fourth fingers should, in theory, benefit from slightly less spring tension on the highest and lowest notes, although one learns to adapt and build strength in those fingers, Does this make sense ?

[John Adey]

Great to have Bertram's responses to the questions posed. Much of what he says, about phrasing, and imagining phrases before hitting the buttons, as well as the points about articulation and bellows use, is just as relevant to players of the English and duet systems.

[John D]

Zeke,

 

I have not taken the time to read all the replies, I just saw that you have an Edgley and that you are experiencing trouble with the air button. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT. I participated in the midwest concertina camp with Noel Hill for the first time at Erlanger (sp) Kentucky. I think that it is sort of a tradition on the first night, Sunday, everyone socializes and have the opportunity to play other instruments. Many times this opens eyes about the performance of their concertina. I was one of those fortunate players that realized the heavy callous on my right thumb, directly over the spot that I performed the air button IS NOT NORMAL. I asked the question of my new acquaintance, Mr. Hill. He took my instrument and tried it out. He laughed as he said that I must need to use my feet to get it to move. Of course he was just having fun with me. Within just a few minutes he took the right side off, took out the spring for the air button, adjusted it and replace it. Vwala ! He performed a miracle for me. Now my beloved Edgley performed almost just like the Dipper I had just tried out. I was thrilled. It took several days for me to get used to the new performance it afforded me because I was not now having to work so hard to play. Others witnessed this same miracle. In fact my new friend, Mr. Hill said to me, don't let anyone tell you that the air button was your fault. Shades of Robin Williams and Matt Damion, in GOOD WILL HUNTING, "Its not your fault". Tears almost brimmed my eyes as I was now free to for give the abuse I had inflicted on my thumb theses past many months. LOL LOL. Forgive yourself and fix the **** spring, it will play excellent once you do.

 

ahhhh ... thank you so much Lorie, a small tweak on the spring was just the thing! The high tension was making it very hard to 'modulate' the air valve, after adjusting it to be just a bit looser I'm finding it much easier to crack it just a bit to get the bellows where I'd like it while still maintaining steady volume ..

 

now back to practicing

[Azalin]

i agree with you, but without playing the instrument i cannot say. i am biased towards always blaming the player, :-P

 

Yes I'm like you. The saying goes, a great player can make a piece of crap sound good... but up to a point On a side note, I've been playing an Edgley for 4-5 years before I got my Dipper and switching to the Dipper improved the sound because I personally love concertina reed sound (it's a matter of taste) but the playability was not changed much, the Edgley plays amazingly well. For the price, it's a heck of a bargain. Sorry for half hijacking the thread!

[CaryK]

{/quote}

There is no problem with Edgleys, maybe it's a specific problem, the same way any concertina from any maker can have isolated problems at times. It could also be that the handle's position is not adapted to John's hand, so with the angle and all, it's more difficult to push. I'd take a small video shot and send it to Frank, he might have a simple solution (if the instrument is the problem).

 

I tend to agree with you, Azalin. The problem is likely an eccentricity of this individual instrument. I've owned an Edgley for about 5 years and the tension on the air button (and all the buttons) has been just right since the beginning. Frank is always willing to discuss his instruments with any owner and likely would have suggested the adjustment to the spring. He's very helpful.

Edited November 10, 2011 by CaryK

[BertramLevy]

Use of Air button

 

John, I am glad you got your air button fixed. I went back and reviewed the reverse fingering exercise of Shoes and Stockings and I can see how the air issue could be a problem for you. Specifically the out movement in the ending measure 4 and out movement of the beginning of measure 1 (and measure 8 and 5) could create a feeling of instability in the centering of your instrument Here are some suggestions.

 

Try to practice the exercise in two ways: with and without the air button. First try to practice the piece without using the air button by planning out bellow excursion as previously discussed. This method requires that you carefully prepare the hand before executing the phrase as also discussed. This is the most important point of the exercise. If it is still a problem for you, simply play the last G of measure 4 and 8 (the last beat) in the closing position. You can use either the row II G (L10) or row III G (L13).

 

The second method is to use the air button to reestablish the center of your instrument. I would use the air button on the last beat of the second measure (the C) and on the last beat of the 6th measure (the D). You could either use the air button simultaneously while playing the note or shortening the note with a small rest. This is easier with the second measure since the C is a quarter note while the D in the sixth measure is an eighth note.

 

Of course the reverse direction version is only an exercise to learn to play the same notes fluidly in both directions. As I pointed out in the conclusion on page 38, once you have internalized both directions carefully, you will be mixing the two versions, which will ameliorate any bellow length issues.

 

Bertram

[John D]

I tend to agree with you, Azalin. The problem is likely an eccentricity of this individual instrument. I've owned an Edgley for about 5 years and the tension on the air button (and all the buttons) has been just right since the beginning. Frank is always willing to discuss his instruments with any owner and likely would have suggested the adjustment to the spring. He's very helpful.

 

I totally agree with regards to Frank's helpfulness (we've worked out a couple of minor issues since I've received my box) .. I had not contacted him regarding this issue since it only really occurred to me a couple of days ago

I've had the box open a number of times for small adjustments to reed set or to get a fleck of dust out of a sticky reed, so it was pretty easy to make a slight adjustment that reduced the tension on the air button to something much easier for me to manage.

 

I'm curious if you other Edgley owners see a significant difference in button force between note buttons and the air button? The air lever is much shorter than the others, and has a much heavier spring as a result (which might make consistent adjustment during manufacture a bit more challenging). I guess it also gets more opening pressure on bellows close since the pad is larger and doesn't have a reed blocking it ..

[Bruce McCaskey]

I'm curious if you other Edgley owners see a significant difference in button force between note buttons and the air button? The air lever is much shorter than the others, and has a much heavier spring as a result (which might make consistent adjustment during manufacture a bit more challenging). I guess it also gets more opening pressure on bellows close since the pad is larger and doesn't have a reed blocking it.

 

I own two of Franks fine instruments at the moment. I owned a third a few years ago, so can speak from the perspective of having owned three. All of them have had what I consider to be very light spring pressure on the buttons and I'd not noticed a difference with respect to the air button. In response to your question today I checked the two I currently have and in comparing spring pressure by pressing the buttons with a finger tip, the air buttons on both do have a little more spring resistance than those associated with reeds. That said, I don't notice any extra force needed to depress it when I play. Of course, it is played on the side of a thumb rather than a finger tip, so the mechanics involved are different.

 

I can also contrast Edgleys with my Dipper Professional County Clare, which has noticeably stronger springs on all of the buttons, and even it requires more pressure to depress the air button compared to the buttons associated with reeds. Comparing just the air buttons between the Clare and the Edgleys, the Clare clearly has a stronger spring and requires more force to depress it.

 

As others have commented, if you think you have a problem with an Edgley, by all means get in touch with Frank and discuss it.

 

Back to the thread topic, I had early access and can play most of the studies (22 of the 30) in Bertram's new book from memory. I can report that while I found the initial work with each new study challenging, once you get familiar with the material you find the early difficulties go away, as with working with almost any new and unfamiliar thing. Air issues are just something you need to accept, indeed perhaps expect, when first learning. While Bertram does have extended runs of notes in one direction by the nature of his "phrasing" approach, I've found that I could handle them once I was got to the point where I could play the material at a steady and reasonable speed. Going slow always takes more air because you sustain the notes longer, and as noted above, if you're searching for the next note while holding the current one, you're using unnecessary air. This comment isn't intended to be critical, rather just an observation on the mechanics of the instrument.