jdubs Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Hey all. I just got my new Rochelle, and it's hard to get a higher note to play when there is a lower note playing. It seems the higher pitched reeds take a lot more pressure to sound, and the decrease in pressure from having a low note open makes it very hard to get both the go at once. Is this normal or something that will right itself as the instrument is broken in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted December 12, 2014 Share Posted December 12, 2014 (edited) Hi there, and... no, that's not normal. Low and high notes pressed simultanteously is more an issue of the lower one "drowning" the higher reed soundwise, not that the smaller reed doesn't start at all... Maybe you'd have to send the instrument back. Other members will have more reliable advice as they're familiar with that model (which I'm not). Best wishes - Wolf Edited December 12, 2014 by blue eyed sailor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 High reeds require significantly greater air pressure to vibrate than low reeds. Low chords will certainly rob higher simultaneous notes of air pressure. Playing techniques to compensate for this characteristic will only come with considerable practice. That has been my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 The OP has been talking about just two notes, hasn't he (haven't you)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I don't have a Rochelle but on my Elise it is perfectly possible to play high notes and low at the same time with no noticable problems.... but then your instrument is very new and may need some playing-in, or perhaps there is a fault. One thing to remember is that it is hardly possible to get a cheaper concertina that works reasonably well... as a musical instrument it is an amazing price and one should not expect too much from it. Good luck though! Geoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidsqueezer Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I play a Rochelle and I have noticed the same problem, especially if playing a 3 note bass chord on the Left. Worse combination seems to be a G chord on the pull with G pull on RH accidental. I accept this as the limitation of this budget instrument. If you can play the RH note fractionally before the LH chord, that seems to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Sounds to me that the high reed has been set too low. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidsqueezer Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 So is it possible to adjust a reed that has been "set too low", keeping in mind that these budget boxes have Accordian reeds in blocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Every reed has to be set rightly, and can thus be adjusted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) The CC boxes have accordion reeds inside reed blocks. They are waxed in place and access to the inner reed block is not easy. While the reeds can be removed I don't think that was one of Wim's design criteria. It would be worth contacting Win for his advice. I think that he will tell you that these boxes need 'playing in' for 100 hours or so. That is what he told me when I inquired about a reed that was slow to sound. YMMV and don't blame me if it causes problems, but I solved my problem by playing the problem note very hard for a few times. I built up the bellows pressure gradually as far as I dared to go. My thinking was to artificially shorten the playing in time. This did work for me, but maybe one of the experts on this forum will comment for/against brutalizing a reed like this. Edit: Here are Wim's instructions for changing the reeds: http://www.concertinaconnection.com/reed%20exchange%20instructions.htm# Edited December 13, 2014 by Don Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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