Terry McGee Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 I'd like some guidance on a topic, but I don't know what it's called. That makes searching difficult.... What do you call the art of allowing the ends of the concertina not to remain parallel, and the bellows not to remain straight, and using that to advantage when playing notes on one button on an anglo? Subsequent question, any other related searchable words or phrases? If anyone remembers a useful discussion on that topic, feel free to point to it! Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Fanning????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 The flexibility of the bellows is such that the ends are seldom, if indeed ever, precisely parallel to one another throughout the course of a tune and there is no necessity, advantage or disadvantage that they should be so. Do what comes naturally. That's what I think ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 What do you call the art of allowing the ends of the concertina not to remain parallel, and the bellows not to remain straight, and using that to advantage when playing notes on one button on an anglo? What sort of "advantage" are you suggesting, and why do you seem to think it's limited to the anglo? Danny Chapman (concertina.net member ratface) uses fanning (yes, I think that's the usual term) as his primary means of expanding and compressing the bellows, rather than using the full bellows volume as I try to do. But that has nothing to do with single-button work on an anglo. He plays a tenor-treble English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 From my own English playing I can add that using the bellows for some extra attack and bounce seems to be supported by pressing the ends (rather than pulling) to and fro from an angle, winding it so to speak snakily... (difficult to describe), but again, it's not very closely related to repeated notes or button usage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGee Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 What do you call the art of allowing the ends of the concertina not to remain parallel, and the bellows not to remain straight, and using that to advantage when playing notes on one button on an anglo? What sort of "advantage" are you suggesting, and why do you seem to think it's limited to the anglo? Danny Chapman (concertina.net member ratface) uses fanning (yes, I think that's the usual term) as his primary means of expanding and compressing the bellows, rather than using the full bellows volume as I try to do. But that has nothing to do with single-button work on an anglo. He plays a tenor-treble English. I'm interested in how the same level of pressure (as evidenced by the same level of sound) can be achieved with a lower level of overall force applied by the arms. I'm sure it will have been discussed, but it's hard to find such discussions without some keywords! I'll try searching for "fanning". Obviously this will apply to any concertina, but is only important (I imagine) at the change of directions of the bellows. In the anglo, this can be at almost every note, making it really significant, especially at speed. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGee Posted June 23, 2014 Author Share Posted June 23, 2014 From my own English playing I can add that using the bellows for some extra attack and bounce seems to be supported by pressing the ends (rather than pulling) to and fro from an angle, winding it so to speak snakily... (difficult to describe), but again, it's not very closely related to repeated notes or button usage... That makes sense, Blue Eyes, and a good point. The extreme case would thus be Anglo Routine Direction Change, the intermediate case English Seeking Dynamics, and the least case English Playing Organically. Or can anyone bust my bubble? (or improve my descriptors!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 The flexibility of the bellows,( well , a good bellows that is, one which is not old,stiff or patched with No.2 Elephant Hide) will allow different effects in actuation dependant on the angle of the folds. So, from a point of view of 'bellows direction changes' the air can be swapped from in to out much more rapidly when the bellows is nearly fully closed... the movement is far crisper because there is the least amount of flexibility of the bellows' materials ( gussets , hinges and perhaps the card walls) and vice versa. When the bellows is well extended the change of direction movement is softer due to the flexibility. With Fanning, I think ,a more controlled shuffling of the air can be made to good effect as an expressive tool. You just have to experiment with the way your bellows feels ... which begs the question " does a bellows have feelings?".... because there are not that many things one can do to alter the sound emmited by a squeeze box..... but ' squeeze-artistic' is one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 As I seem to recall it from Danny's videos he uses "fanning" (hadn't he/you even taped the ends on one edge?) rather for a most consistent air supply than as an expressive tool, with the instrument resting quite firm (with the bellows) on one knee, thereby giving more or less the impression of a small reed organ soundwise... what Terry calls "English Playing Organically" However, what I'm referring to is quite different, one end on the (right) knee with the other being veered round pretty freely, rather overacting which IMO makes sense with this sort of instrument with overall attack depending on pressure and speedup (and supportive imagination). "English Seeking Dynamics" without mimicking the Anglo (see: Irish on the English...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 From my own English playing I can add that using the bellows for some extra attack and bounce seems to be supported by pressing the ends (rather than pulling) to and fro from an angle, winding it so to speak snakily... (difficult to describe), but again, it's not very closely related to repeated notes or button usage... That makes sense, Blue Eyes, and a good point. The extreme case would thus be Anglo Routine Direction Change, the intermediate case English Seeking Dynamics, and the least case English Playing Organically. Or can anyone bust my bubble? (or improve my descriptors!) That corresponds with my experience, but I seem to recall that others in the past have claimed the opposite: that the strongest force and dynamic are obtained from pulling the bellows... and similarly with the downstroke of a violin bow. I'm not at all sure the two movements (on concertina and violin) are equivalent, but I hope that other camp will join this discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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