gcoover Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Instead of the including a CD with "Christmas Concertina" (a new book for Anglo concertina), and in the spirit of those wonderful Advent calendars where you open a different panel each day before Christmas, I'll be adding a new YouTube video of a tune from the book every day between now and Christmas. We'll start with "The First Nowell":http://youtu.be/fIbxPj6f81g, which is included in the free excerpt available elsewhere here on cnet. I'll not clutter this forum with announcements every day, but you are more than welcome to check the "angloconc" YouTube channel every day for the newest tune: http://www.youtube.com/angloconc. Enjoy! Happy Holidays! Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayman Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Gary, what a splendid idea! Something to brighten my December mornings and give my fingers a bit of inspiration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthatcher61 Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Gary, I'm enjoying the videos every day. I ordered the book yesterday. Very much looking forward to working through it. I have been waiting for something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted December 11, 2013 Author Share Posted December 11, 2013 20 tunes have been posted so far, and lumped together in a "Christmas Concertina" YouTube playlist. I'm slinging them out there two a day now, only 30 tunes to go, with an especially schmaltzy surprise slated for Christmas Eve. The most recent uploads are two of my favorites: "Shepherds Arise" and "Jacob's Well". (And no, I don't own just the one shirt - all the videos were cranked out in just two days, but it is the only one with the requisite red and green Christmas colors!) Enjoy! Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Jowaisas Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 Very nice playing, Gary. May I respectfully suggest you lose the Hawaiian shirt in the video and don a more seasonally traditional sweater or pea coat out of respect for those of us who won't see above freezing temperatures for the next week! I don't know about anyone else but if I have to watch someone play Christmas carols on concertina in Hawaii then I want to see them sweat! Great book by the way. You may have found my tipping point and I may have to come over and learn some English anglo style. Well done! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayman Posted December 11, 2013 Share Posted December 11, 2013 (edited) I'll add my voice to the chorus: well done, Gary, and thank you for the book and the videos. Carols offer such great easy access to learning the "English-style Anglo" harmonies. My student and I had a great evening last night as I helped her with Good King and While Shepherds (and then, as a bonus exercise, we transposed Good King into G on the C/G just by ear, complete with chords and similar voicings). I love the camera set-up you've developed, where somehow we can see the fingers and buttons for both sides of the instrument clearly in a single view. It's like magic! I've heard probably half-a-dozen (maybe a dozen!) different settings for While Shepherds, but neither I nor my student had encountered the one in your book. What was your source for that, Gary? It's simple and elegant. Edited December 11, 2013 by wayman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted December 13, 2013 Author Share Posted December 13, 2013 Yes, Wayman, there seem to be quite a few tunes for "While Shepherds Washed Their Socks", and to tell the truth I couldn't remember the one I grew up with, so I turned to ye olde internet and found the "Winchester Old" tune from 1592 which is also the one most commonly used in the UK. The tune in the Oxford Book of Carols is a bit too similar to Somerset Wassail, and almost a major key version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" so I didn't want to use that. I've since found my old Methodist Hymnal and the tune they use is adapted from Handel, so I might have a go at working it up. Let's hear some of the ones you know! BTW, there's nothing very special about the camera setup - it's just a cheap webcam sitting on top of my monitor and I try to remember to play with both ends angled in a bit to show both sides. Sometimes that makes the bass a little stronger than it should be, so that's why in some videos I favor the treble side. But I know for a fact I'm not smart enough to figure out how to do split-screen or anything very fancy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 BTW, there's nothing very special about the camera setup - it's just a cheap webcam sitting on top of my monitor and I try to remember to play with both ends angled in a bit to show both sides. Sometimes that makes the bass a little stronger than it should be, so that's why in some videos I favor the treble side. But I know for a fact I'm not smart enough to figure out how to do split-screen or anything very fancy... Gary: Can you please name the brand and model of your webcam? It is so much better than mine and on mine the audio lags the video whereas yours does not. Maybe you fix that up using a video editor? Or maybe use a separate microphone? I was going to PM you, but I thought that maybe others would have the same problem. Don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Worrall Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Very nice playing, Gary. May I respectfully suggest you lose the Hawaiian shirt in the video and don a more seasonally traditional sweater or pea coat out of respect for those of us who won't see above freezing temperatures for the next week! I don't know about anyone else but if I have to watch someone play Christmas carols on concertina in Hawaii then I want to see them sweat! Great book by the way. You may have found my tipping point and I may have to come over and learn some English anglo style. Well done! Greg Gary, You're an inspiration to us all. I vote you keep your shirt....the warm climate is an inspiration to us, too! But where is your Mai Tai? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share Posted December 15, 2013 (edited) Don asked about the webcam, and it's just a 3-year old Logitech HD C310 that I got at Best Buy for $12 after cashing in about $35 in rewards cards. As I recall I had some issues at first with the audio and video not synching properly, but then I think it magically fixed itself. Most of the settings are default, but I have to turn off the "Real Sound" button or it sounds like I'm playing through a flanger. It came with Magix video editing software which is pretty basic but lets me trim the ends and adjust lighting if necessary, and just a couple of weeks ago I figured out how to add a picture at the front. The hardest part is recording with wrists pointed slightly forward to somewhat show both sides (not sure how much that helps, but perhaps there is a comfort level for some in getting a rough idea of what both hands are doing). It's kinda funny - I got the webcam on a whim, and then decided to record a few tunes just for grins, and then what-the-heck throw them on YouTube as a way for a few friends to see them, and now it's turned into a personal collection of my favorite tunes and a way to somewhat show what a 30-button "hybrid" Anglo is capable of, as well as being an excellent way to present the tunes from "Anglo Concertina in the Harmonic Style" and "Christmas Concertina" without having to include an audio CD with the book. And, it's also been a great way to meet really interesting people from all over the world. What a pleasant surprise this has all turned into! Gary P.S. The Mai Tai is just out of camera range, of course! Edited December 23, 2013 by gcoover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 The hardest part is recording with wrists pointed slightly forward to somewhat show both sides (not sure how much that helps, but perhaps there is a comfort level for some in getting a rough idea of what both hands are doing). It helps me, thanks Gary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcoover Posted December 23, 2013 Author Share Posted December 23, 2013 Don, glad to hear it helps! When I watch a lot of other videos I can never quite make out what finger is on which button and when and it drives me crazy. That's why I prefer a simple tablature system - much easier to sort out. Thanks to all who have been enjoying this winter flurry of Christmas song videos. I have enjoyed learning and playing these tunes far more than I originally expected, and will probably be playing them again and again all year regardless of the season. Timeless classics indeed. And....as promised.......a big syrupy dessert is in store for late Christmas Eve. Happy holidays to all! Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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