New To This

[John Francis]

Hello All,

 

I'm 57 years old and have taken up the fiddle a few years ago. I want to try another instrument as well and find the concertina interesting. I currently play with a jam group on Sunday evenings. We play mostly old timey music and most seem to be in the key of D (because of the dulcimers, I think). I like Irish music and am considering the Anglo style concertina. I'm just not certain what to buy. Will all anglo's play in any key? I would like to play along with the tunes my group is playing. Am I limiting my repertoire by choosing an anglo over an English? This weekend I am going to make a trip to the Dublin Ohio Irish Festival and try to find Bob Tedrow. I understand he makes concertinas and may help with my selection. Your thoughts at this early and ignorant stage of my concertina discovery would be appreciated. Off to another fiddle lesson!

 

John

[Bill N]

Hello All,

 

I'm 57 years old and have taken up the fiddle a few years ago. I want to try another instrument as well and find the concertina interesting. I currently play with a jam group on Sunday evenings. We play mostly old timey music and most seem to be in the key of D (because of the dulcimers, I think). I like Irish music and am considering the Anglo style concertina. I'm just not certain what to buy. Will all anglo's play in any key? I would like to play along with the tunes my group is playing. Am I limiting my repertoire by choosing an anglo over an English? This weekend I am going to make a trip to the Dublin Ohio Irish Festival and try to find Bob Tedrow. I understand he makes concertinas and may help with my selection. Your thoughts at this early and ignorant stage of my concertina discovery would be appreciated. Off to another fiddle lesson!

 

John

 

 

A 30 button (or more) Anglo will allow you to play in many keys, but depending on the tuning of the concertina, and your style of fingering, those keys will range from easy/intuitive to torturous/darn near impossible. However if folk and Irish music is your main interest, that won't be a problem for about 80% of what's being played in sessions-"D" & "G" and relative minors are easy keys on either of the two most popular tunings. The English is better for multiple keys, but there are lots of other benefits to the Anglo relative to most folk music. Talking to Bob would be a great start.

[gcoover]

John,

Since you already play fiddle, the English might make a certain amount of sense because it has the same range, and you will find it more versatile for playing melodies in different keys and doing things like simple chords and drones. An Anglo will give you more bounce, and fuller chords if you want, but will be pretty limited in the number of keys you can play in.

 

You'll find Anglos come in different key configurations, the most common is C/G, especially for Irish (although they manage to play it most often in the keys of D), and there are G/D Anglos that are lower in pitch, but folks like Jody Kruskal prefer them for oldtime music. Check out Jody's website www.jodykruskal.com for more info. Also check out the music of Bertram Levy, he's using a C/G for oldtime music. Having said all this, I mostly use my English concertina for oldtime music.

 

An Anglo that is bright enough for Irish music might drown out a dulcimer, so that's another consideration to think about. Bertram Levy uses a cheaper Stagi to blend in better.

 

Go to festivals, search YouTube, ask lots of questions!

 

Gary

[michael sam wild]

C/G Anglo for Irish music is most flexible and repays the effort. Mick Bramich, Frank Edgely, John Williams have good tutors and DVDs are availbale. Also lots of help on conc.net and youtube. Best wishes

[asdormire]

John, I'll be hiking up to the Irish Festival later this afternoon, and would be willing to sit down with you this weekend, should you wish (I live in Dublin and will be at the festival all three days). My primary interest is old time and western music and I play a 30 button CG Tedrow, the one pictured in that little window in the upper right. I expect that I will be wearing Carhardt dungarees, either green or tan held up with Carhardt braces, black and gray cowboy boots,a beat up straw Stetson and a short sleeved shirt (not a tee). I stand 5'8", have a dark brown pony tail and a beard that has grayed out around the muzzle like an old dog. I'll check back here before I walk up this afternoon.

 

Alan

[asdormire]

John, I'll be hiking up to the Irish Festival later this afternoon, and would be willing to sit down with you this weekend, should you wish (I live in Dublin and will be at the festival all three days). My primary interest is old time and western music and I play a 30 button CG Tedrow, the one pictured in that little window in the upper right. I expect that I will be wearing Carhardt dungarees, either green or tan held up with Carhardt braces, black and gray cowboy boots,a beat up straw Stetson and a short sleeved shirt (not a tee). I stand 5'8", have a dark brown pony tail and a beard that has grayed out around the muzzle like an old dog. I'll check back here before I walk up this afternoon.

 

Alan

 

Excuse me, the picture is in the upper left. This left right thing still confuses me.

[John Francis]

Alan, email me at mrkringles@msn.com and I will give you my cell phone # so we we can connect.

[jggunn]

If you play fiddle, think seriously about the English whatever Anglo players may say. Not only the same range but same note on push and pull, same double stops, key transpositions, etc. It is a very natural transference from either fiddle or mandolin.

[John Francis]

If you play fiddle, think seriously about the English whatever Anglo players may say. Not only the same range but same note on push and pull, same double stops, key transpositions, etc. It is a very natural transference from either fiddle or mandolin.

 

 

Bob Tedrow will not be in Dublin, OH tomorrow but I am meeting with Alan Dormire to talk concertinas. I will also listen to Noel Hill give a 45 minute talk. I talked with Bob Tedrow this afternoon and he convinced me to purchase a Rochelle and start there. It is done......let the fun or work begin. Thanks all for your help.

 

 

John

[John Francis]

Well I received my Rochelle from Homewood Musical and have begun to learn the note locations. Not having played any concertina before, it sounds and feels good to me. I thought I would just learn the notes locations and I am learning to read music as well. Next year I would like to attend a Noel HIll school.

[shelly0312]

Well I received my Rochelle from Homewood Musical and have begun to learn the note locations. Not having played any concertina before, it sounds and feels good to me. I thought I would just learn the notes locations and I am learning to read music as well. Next year I would like to attend a Noel HIll school.

 

Bravo, John Francis !!! you are going to have fun ! Shelly