note articulation

[fearfeasog]

so, as a beginner, I can't help noticing that my playing doesn't sound quite like the playing of more experienced players. It will, but it doesn't yet.

 

One of the reasons I think is that my articulations is not so great. probably you want a little slop--not every note should have a hard line between it and the next, but still.

 

so my questions--

 

when playing 2 (different or of the same) notes in sequence on the same button, say, two 16th or 8th notes, would you normally lift your finger off the button between them? or do you generally just let the bellows direction change do it for you?

 

how much does bellows technique affect articulation? pressure and quickness on the direction changes must be huge in this regard, I would think.

 

I guess that's it. mostly I was curious about the first question's answer.

 

thanks, m

[Brian McGee]

I'm by no means an expert players, but in answer to your two questions:

 

1. Do you lift for two of the same notes (vs presumably separating the notes with a bellows pause)? I lift. My fingers are MUCH faster than my arms.

2. Do you lift for two different notes? No. I did that when I started, but it was just way too slow.

 

B

[fearfeasog]

I'm by no means an expert players, but in answer to your two questions:

 

1. Do you lift for two of the same notes (vs presumably separating the notes with a bellows pause)? I lift. My fingers are MUCH faster than my arms.

2. Do you lift for two different notes? No. I did that when I started, but it was just way too slow.

 

B

 

Thanks for that, Brian.

[Mikefule]

Ideally, you should be able to depress and release the button separately for each note.

 

The way to do this quickly is to move your finger the minimum distance possible. As your playing improves, your finger movements will become smaller and more precise.

 

If you can do it this way then you can always choose just to keep the button down between consecutive notes in opposite directions if that is the particular effect that you want.

 

However, if you learn it the "easy way" (just holding the button down) then you can't just choose to do it the difficult way.

 

It does make a difference to the sound. Depressing the button when the bellows are already under slight pressure gives the note a clean start (called "attack") whereas just holding the button down and relying on the change of bellows direction can make the sound sloppy and shapeless.

 

Another thing is that in a piece of "musical music", as opposed to "just a tune", a bar of 4 equal notes (for example) is not made up of 4 notes which are each exactly 1/4 of a bar long. There are gaps: a note ends, then the next one begins. They don't just run into each other. (Again, unless that is the particular effect you need at that moment.) Gaps and silences are as important to music as every other aspect of your playing.

 

Play a bit more slowly and learn to do it the "hard way". This will give you more options later.

Edited July 15, 2012 by Mikefule

[fearfeasog]

Ideally, you should be able to depress and release the button separately for each note.

 

The way to do this quickly is to move your finger the minimum distance possible. As your playing improves, your finger movements will become smaller and more precise.

 

If you can do it this way then you can always choose just to keep the button down between consecutive notes in opposite directions if that is the particular effect that you want.

 

However, if you learn it the "easy way" (just holding the button down) then you can't just choose to do it the difficult way.

 

It does make a difference to the sound. Depressing the button when the bellows are already under slight pressure gives the note a clean start (called "attack") whereas just holding the button down and relying on the change of bellows direction can make the sound sloppy and shapeless.

 

Another thing is that in a piece of "musical music", as opposed to "just a tune", a bar of 4 equal notes (for example) is not made up of 4 notes which are each exactly 1/4 of a bar long. There are gaps: a note ends, then the next one begins. They don't just run into each other. (Again, unless that is the particular effect you need at that moment.) Gaps and silences are as important to music as every other aspect of your playing.

 

Play a bit more slowly and learn to do it the "hard way". This will give you more options later.

 

Makes perfect sense. thank you!

[Jody Kruskal]

Hi Fearfeasog,

 

It's such a good question you ask there, about articulation and there is lots more to say about it, but I thought I would just tell you my thinking for the case where I'm playing two notes, same pitch, same button, same bellows direction. How I do it depends on where those notes are in the musical phrase and how much separation (if any) I want between them.

 

1: If I want a lot of separation (a silent gap between notes) then I lift off the button and press again. That will work for half and quarter notes or even eighth notes if I'm playing at a moderate tempo.

 

2: Here’s a good way for crisp clean minimal separation and a strong even attack. Use two different fingers on the same button. I find index and middle to be the handiest. I kind of roll them across the button like a flam. This gives shorter separation for faster tunes. This is useful for two or three or more notes fast in a row. "Saut de Lapin" has 12 eighth note Ds in a row and this is one way to do it. I've heard this sometimes also used by ITM players to play ornaments and can sound like the kick of a machine gun, very aggressive.

 

3: Another very cool trick that ITM maven Frank Butler taught me... keep the button down and smartly tap the wood on the other side of the 'tina. This gives a controllable attack on that second note with little to no separation and sounds the most like a fiddle changing bow direction.

 

4: I play lots of other notes aside from the melody. So often I'll let one of those other (lower pitched) notes/buttons articulate the melody as I simply keep my finger down on the button for both melody notes. I think of it as having another note/button stand in for the second melody note, but really this articulation works just the way #4 above does. This method does not use separation at all but rather a combination of accent and arrangement to articulate the second melody note and is probably the way I choose most often.

 

5: Another way with no separation is to hold down the button and use bellows pressure only. This is very effective for certain situations like a slower tempo but can work fast too. This is the least crisp way and I use it plenty.

 

More ways? Perhaps!

 

All 5 of these can be useful and they all sound quite different from each other. I want to pick the one that sounds the best at this moment... and that all depends on the context. If I'm playing alone I will choose to do different things than if I'm in a band. If I am playing a single line melody I will choose to articulate differently than if I am playing lots of notes and chords in self-accompaniment. Slow vs fast makes a huge difference in articulation possibilities.

 

It's a whole other kettle of fish if you are talking about the case where the melody has two notes, different pitch, same button, with a bellows direction change between them. This happens much more often and I generally let the bellows articulate the note and do not pick my finger up... unless there is some good reason not to.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Jody Kruskal

[fearfeasog]

Hi Fearfeasog,

 

It's such a good question you ask there, about articulation and there is lots more to say about it, but I thought I would just tell you my thinking for the case where I'm playing two notes, same pitch, same button, same bellows direction. How I do it depends on where those notes are in the musical phrase and how much separation (if any) I want between them.

 

2: Here’s a good way for crisp clean minimal separation and a strong even attack. Use two different fingers on the same button. I find index and middle to be the handiest. I kind of roll them across the button like a flam. This gives shorter separation for faster tunes. This is useful for two or three or more notes fast in a row. "Saut de Lapin" has 12 eighth note Ds in a row and this is one way to do it. I've heard this sometimes also used by ITM players to play ornaments and can sound like the kick of a machine gun, very aggressive.

 

Aha! I wondered about this! I'm learning an IT tune now that has a similar run of notes, albeit shorter, and I'll give this a try.

 

3: Another very cool trick that ITM maven Frank Butler taught me... keep the button down and smartly tap the wood on the other side of the 'tina. This gives a controllable attack on that second note with little to no separation and sounds the most like a fiddle changing bow direction.

 

This sounds really intriguing. Is that because you're percussively shoving the bellows, I wonder?

 

 

4: I play lots of other notes aside from the melody. So often I'll let one of those other (lower pitched) notes/buttons articulate the melody as I simply keep my finger down on the button for both melody notes. I think of it as having another note/button stand in for the second melody note, but really this articulation works just the way #4 above does. This method does not use separation at all but rather a combination of accent and arrangement to articulate the second melody note and is probably the way I choose most often.

 

also intriguing! worth a try. Are you using an octave, usually? I'm trying to get used to where the octaves are and to use them here and there.

 

Slow vs fast makes a huge difference in articulation possibilities.

 

I'll figure this out when I get fast.

 

It's a whole other kettle of fish if you are talking about the case where the melody has two notes, different pitch, same button, with a bellows direction change between them. This happens much more often and I generally let the bellows articulate the note and do not pick my finger up... unless there is some good reason not to.

 

So how does one develop crisp bellows skills? I can imagine us all holding physio-balls between our hands, squeezing away in some yoga classroom somewhere.

 

Thanks alot, Jody!

[Anglo-Irishman]

So how does one develop crisp bellows skills? I can imagine us all holding physio-balls between our hands, squeezing away in some yoga classroom somewhere.

 

Hi, Fearfeasog,

 

Playing any instrument is a very physical thing, requiring not just subtlety but also, occasionally, strength - but a certain type of strength, not just brute force!

 

What you need for good Anglo bellows work is the ability to apply considerable force briefly to stop and reverse the movement of the moving ends (which do have quite a bit of mass inertia) and to go straight from positive pressure to negative pressure (or vice versa), without staying too long in the "slack" phase where you're neither blowing nor sucking the reeds. As soon as the transition is complete, however, you must revert to an even press or draw with a force appropriate for the volume you want.

 

Theoretically, if you practise daily (as many on this forum recommend), you'll get the strength you need eventually. But there is a shortcut!

 

As children, we used to beg, borrow or steal a large button and some strong thread from Mum's sewing-box. We put a loop of thread through two opposite holes in the button, stuck our thumbs in the ends of the loop, burled the whole thing round a few times, then pulled outwards on the thread. The button started to rotate, then, at a critical moment, we relaxed the pull, and the button wound up the thread in the opposite direction. Then we pulled outwards on the thread again, and the button rotated in the other direction, until the critical point .. and so on. A sort of yoyo effect.

 

And now you can get this toy ready-made, but with a small flywheel and strong cord, to train your arm and shoulder muscles. I made one out of two metal wheels from my old Meccano set and some thick, plaited nylon cord. Works perfectly, really works out the arm, shoulder and pectoral muscles. What makes it ideal as a concertinists work-out machine is the alternation between the considerable force needed to reverse the rotation, the steady pull needed to accelarate it in the new direction, and the lighter force needed to slow the flywheel down.

 

After making my version and using it for a few minutes at a time for a couple of days, my bellows control improved. Perhaps I didn't play any better, but the bellows changes were definitely easier, so I could play well sustainably.

 

No need to go to a yoga or fitness studio - you can use it wherever and whenever yo have both hands free for a few minutes!

 

Cheers,

John

[Jody Kruskal]

 

So how does one develop crisp bellows skills?

 

 

So it's bellows control now. You are greedy. I thought we were talking about articulation. Related I know, but really quite different. Back to articulation. On the concertina this is really not much more than a matter of button duration... that is, how long are you pushing the button, how quickly are you picking your finger up, how long is the gap of silence between notes, ie how staccato or laggato each note is being played.

 

As you gain control of that, you gain control of one of only a few means of expression on the concertina. This one of the few tools you have to take a bunch of notes and turn them into music. So as an exercise, play through a tune you know well, to the point where you have no hesitations. Slow is fine. Then play the tune...

 

1. as staccato as possible. Every note of the tune equally short and very short, tapped buttons.

 

2. with every note as laggato as you can, as connected as you can with no gaps.

 

3. Now play your tune again and make a choice for each note... either articulation 1 or 2... nothing in between. Write down your choices if you have to.

 

4. the next time through change those choices, but still either articulation 1 or 2 for each note. Decide which sounds better... articulation pattern #3 or #4.

 

Start with # 1 and see how far you can take it. Don’t move on to #2 until #1 is sounding nice and crisp and even. See how far you can take #2 Don’t move on to #3 until #2 is sounding nice and connected and even... etc

 

Spend an hour doing this and you will find that you have stretched and deepened your articulation possibilities on all the tunes you know.

 

 

BTW, do you only play ITM or other musics as well?

[fearfeasog]

 

So how does one develop crisp bellows skills?

 

 

So it's bellows control now. You are greedy. I thought we were talking about articulation. Related I know, but really quite different. Back to articulation. On the concertina this is really not much more than a matter of button duration... that is, how long are you pushing the button, how quickly are you picking your finger up, how long is the gap of silence between notes, ie how staccato or laggato each note is being played.

 

As you gain control of that, you gain control of one of only a few means of expression on the concertina. This one of the few tools you have to take a bunch of notes and turn them into music. So as an exercise, play through a tune you know well, to the point where you have no hesitations. Slow is fine. Then play the tune...

 

1. as staccato as possible. Every note of the tune equally short and very short, tapped buttons.

 

2. with every note as laggato as you can, as connected as you can with no gaps.

 

3. Now play your tune again and make a choice for each note... either articulation 1 or 2... nothing in between. Write down your choices if you have to.

 

4. the next time through change those choices, but still either articulation 1 or 2 for each note. Decide which sounds better... articulation pattern #3 or #4.

 

Start with # 1 and see how far you can take it. Don’t move on to #2 until #1 is sounding nice and crisp and even. See how far you can take #2 Don’t move on to #3 until #2 is sounding nice and connected and even... etc

 

Spend an hour doing this and you will find that you have stretched and deepened your articulation possibilities on all the tunes you know.

 

 

BTW, do you only play ITM or other musics as well?

 

Yep, I'm greedy! I want it ALL! NOW!

 

No, not really.

 

Jody, and everyone really, I have to thank you for the free lessons here, this is great material!!!

 

I had started messing around with the staccato technique already, and yeah it ain't easy. It actually trips me up quite a bit. I forget which notes are next! I'll stick with it now that you've given me a system of sorts to follow. I doubt I would have thought to take it to the legato level, though. I will now without a doubt.

 

I am such a beginner, Jody. I rented this box about 2 1/2 weeks ago, maybe 3. I'm happy with the progress I have made. I picked it up for the ITM, and outside of that I have only played some of the example songs in the tutor I have--the one that came with the Rochelle--you may have seen that tutor. I may end up playing in my band in the future (pop/rock) as I think it would fit nicely with some of the sorts of songs we write. AND I am not averse to playing other styles, though it may take someone else to push me in that direction because I'll probably be happy with ITM for a good while.

 

maybe I'll start another topic on bellows skills...

 

maybe not right away.

[Jody Kruskal]

Hi Fearfeasog,

 

Well I hope you find this stuff useful. At your level, 3 weeks in, really just getting the fingers and bellows together for a few easy tunes is quite an accomplishment. May I suggest; try playing your tunes in octaves.. That might be a great next step for you.

 

As for any other of us...? Has anyone found my short/long buttons exercise useful? Hope so.

[fearfeasog]

Hi Fearfeasog,

 

Well I hope you find this stuff useful. At your level, 3 weeks in, really just getting the fingers and bellows together for a few easy tunes is quite an accomplishment. May I suggest; try playing your tunes in octaves.. That might be a great next step for you.

 

As for any other of us...? Has anyone found my short/long buttons exercise useful? Hope so.

 

I can't thank you enough, Jody. You have been most helpful. I'll keep plugging away.

 

I'll try to put up a recording of my playing one of these days. That'll be telling!

 

M

Edited July 21, 2012 by fearfeasog

[fearfeasog]

BTW, anyone who has the Niall Vallely CD-ROM will know that he teaches to press the button individually for each note, even when it's notes on the same button. So that was good confirmation there.