Concertina "face"

[Peter Brook]

Looking at those pictures of the squeeze in shows me that I'm not the only one who pulls funny faces when playing

 

In fact I've had children laungh out loud and say "look at that man's face!" much to the embarrasment of their parents. Hey I don't mind...

 

It's wierd isn't it and so many people seem to do it, and it is not just confined to concertinas.

 

Alistar Anderson has it bad, as does Phil Beer (fiddler from Show of Hands) and most of the musicians that play for our morris side. I think the worst afflicted I ever saw was the northumbrian piper out of high level ranters - his extends to his whole body twisting in knots

 

anyway I'm going to try and scare some more children now.... see you later

[lildogturpy]

The only explanation I have is that once both your brain cells are taken up with the music there's nothing left to control the muscles of your face I've mostly seen faces just go slack but sometimes it seems as though the mouth is noodling the tune silently. I suppose it's related to sticking your tongue out when concentrating really hard. Not sure why we do that either

[Steven]

Funny this should come up today. Last night was open band for our English Country Dance group, and my wife and I were both playing (she on fiddle and I on English concertina). After one tune that I was playing and she wasn't, she leaned over and asked if I could please shut my mouth when I'm playing, because I looked dopey. I just explained that I wasn't aware I was doing it, many concertina players do it, and there's nothing to be done about it! She just rolled her eyes....

 

Steven

[David Barnert]

It's not just concertinas. When I was a kid people used to ask me if I was talking or counting out loud while I was playing the cello. Evidently my jaw moved in a grotesque way as a nervous habit. I think it's stopped now, but I'd be the last to know... :-/

 

Every year at the Squeeze-In, whoever's still around on Sunday morning poses for a group photo. One year, I remember, just before they snapped the picture Doug Creighton said "OK, everyone put on your playing face" and proceeded to mimic the contorted face we're all talking about. The resultant group laugh was just what the photographer needed.

[JimLucas]

I just explained that I wasn't aware I was doing it, many concertina players do it, and there's nothing to be done about it!  She just rolled her eyes....

It's a problem not just with musicians, though the expression can vary from person to person. I have a friend whose "resting" face -- the expression he gets when not paying attention to anyone -- is a frightening rictus. He looks like he's in agony when he's most relaxed.

 

But I propose a solution, related to what I said in the "Performance Problems" thread: Pick somebody in the audience who seems to like what you're doing, and have a (nonverbal) conversation with them. Or if that's a little too personal, think of the song or tune as a story you're telling, and use your face as you would to match the tone of your "voice", as if you were telling an actual story. Admittedly, this requires that you be able to think of that "conversation" or "story telling" without disrupting your musical performance, but that's certainly not a bad skill to develop.

[Henk van Aalten]

The messages in this thread remind me of a previous discussion.

[Nanette Hooker]

I know I play my English Concertina with a strange look on my face. I think I read somewhere that when playing a melody, you usually alternate between right and left hands, therefore need to alternate using the left and right side of the brain.

 

Well I think its a great excuse for my playing expression.

[Mark Davies]

My wife says I have a face like a "constipated ferret"when I play the concertina.Having seen photographs of myself playing I agree with her!!

[lildogturpy]

Dave,

I noticed that on the Sunday morning session of the squeeze in there was a mandolin player doing exactly what you describe. It was almost as though he was quietly saying "diddley diddley dum diddley ........ "

[Peter Stephenson]

I think Mark Davies does himself an injustice as regards the constipated ferret.....

Lets form our own opinions.....

[Rod Thompson]

she leaned over and asked if I could please shut my mouth when I'm playing, because I looked dopey.

Fiddle players have the advantage on us - over hundreds of years of development of the instrument, they evolved a "chin rest" to stop just this kind of trouble.

 

Can someone design a chin rest for the concertina?

[][]

[JimLucas]

she leaned over and asked if I could please shut my mouth when I'm playing, because I looked dopey.

Fiddle players have the advantage on us - over hundreds of years of development of the instrument, they evolved a "chin rest" to stop just this kind of trouble.

Huh? How does the chin rest stop you from twisting the muscles in the rest of your face? (Besides, I've seen a fiddler with a very animated face playing with his instrument braced against his chest.)

 

Can someone design a chin rest for the concertina?

I tried using my concertina as a chin rest, but my whiskers kept getting caught in the bellows.

[Tina]

My chin often behaves as if it wouldn't know whether I play the fiddle or the concertina, seeking desperatly for something to keep hold to.

 

One day I was wondering where the chewing gum went the singer of our band used to chew on constantly on stage, unless he was singing, and this was after watching him for years.

 

(He never had one)

[synchopepper]

I make a point of practicing regularly in front of a mirror. It helps keep ticks, grimaces, frowns, etc to a minimum when I perform in front of audiences.

 

Now if I can just get ride of all the Uhs in my patter!

[JimLucas]

Now if I can just get rid of all the Uhs in my patter! 

Well, do you practice that?

[Samantha]

I make a point of practicing regularly in front of a mirror.  [snip]

This is a GREAT idea. Practising while smiling (no matter how artificial the smile to start with) will make a big difference to the way you look when you play, and the way you're percieved. (I don't practise what I preach, though!).

[JimLucas]

I don't practise what I preach, though!

And what does your congregation think of your preaching?

[Nanette Hooker]

I think I read somewhere that when playing a melody, you usually alternate between right and left hands, therefore need to alternate using the left and right side of the brain.

Found it

 

http://www.cs.adfa.edu.au/~rim/English.html

 

To quote: "Then there's the English concertina ... The hidden catch is that, unlike any other instrument I can think of, every second note in the scale is on opposite sides of the instrument, and is played with opposite hands. So the player's brain is completely saturated with passing messages between its two halves, and English players are rarely able to talk or do anything else sensible when playing - even control their facial muscles. English concertina players usually look not-at-home when playing."