Seeking Ab/eb Anglo

[d.elliott]

 

 

Of course, what I would really like is to have 12 concertinas, a full chromatic set, like I imagine harmonica players have. Dream on!

 

Jody,

 

Actually you do not need 12 concertinas, you need six sets of reed pans, before you all laugh, I have done work on a Geo Case instrument (English System), which came in a long concertina box, the bottom third of the box housed exchangeable reed pans set for an extra two different pitches. as the performer travelled around he could just switch reed pans to be able to play in the locally preferred pitch, one was modern concert, one philharmonic and the third was (I think) Edinburgh.

 

If you already have two tina's then to think of a next pair of reed pans for one of them, it would be a much lower cost option....

 

Dave

[Jody Kruskal]

"Sounds remarkably like a 56+ button duet to me."

 

Is that what you play? If so, would you feel comfortable playing melody, chords, harmony and improvising in Ab while dancing about on stage? Of course, it's quite possible that you don't play that way in any key. Just curious though. Perhaps a Hayden could do it.

[wayman]

"Sounds remarkably like a 56+ button duet to me."

 

Is that what you play? If so, would you feel comfortable playing melody, chords, harmony and improvising in Ab while dancing about on stage? Of course, it's quite possible that you don't play that way in any key. Just curious though. Perhaps a Hayden could do it.

 

Dancing about on stage! You are going to tell us the performance schedule and where we can buy tickets, right?

[danersen]

"Sounds remarkably like a 56+ button duet to me."

 

Is that what you play? If so, would you feel comfortable playing melody, chords, harmony and improvising in Ab while dancing about on stage? Of course, it's quite possible that you don't play that way in any key. Just curious though. Perhaps a Hayden could do it.

Jody,

Yes, I play duet: 58- and 62- buttons in Stark Chromatiphone layouts, and a 62 button CBA layout. (By the way, I continue to search for a 55+ button Crane Aeola)

Yes. Playing melody, chords, harmony, and improvisation in Ab is no more difficult than in C; however,

No. Not while dancing about - on or off a stage. The activities which you describe are far beyond the limited confines of my comfort zone or my physicality.

Assuming that you are playing in Ab major, the Wikki (Hayden) layout would be quite a stretch - literally - side to side across the keyboard moving between the tonic and dominant (which is the same arrangement, and actually quite an easy position in Ab major) and the subdominant (which requires spanning most of the keyboard in either direction) depending on whether you choose to use the G# with the C# on the far right or continue on past the F to the left outer row and use the Ab located there. However, if one has long and nimble fingers, one would likely adapt to it rather quickly. Omitting the C# on the far right (there is no Db on the left, by the way, which is the true complicating factor of the Wikki layout, in this case) would simplify the effort greatly.

Improvisation in Ab major in the right (melody line) hand should not be difficult given the cluster of tonic chord notes in near proximity and position on the left side of the Wikki layout and that the C# is rather easily accessible by extending the pinky of the right hand.

It seems to me that a person of your skill, range, experience, and accomplishments - and given that you are accustomed to playing on a horizontal axis - could, in the timeframe given, master a singular undertaking of the type you describe in Ab major on a large Wikki duet layout with moderate effort.

Please note that my comments are based on Wim's 65-button W-H2 as the reference keyboard scope. This endeavor will prove MUCH more difficult on a smaller compass of notes like Wim's 46-button W-H1. If you are interested, both Wikki and.the Stark Chromatiphone (W-C2) layouts are illustrated on the duet pages of his wakker-concertinas.com website.

I hope this makes some sense, and is amusing, even if not particularly helpful.

Be Well,

Dan

[ben]

Here is a video clip of an Edgely Ab/Eb concertina played by Koot Brits from South Africa:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFeNStFz0G4

 

I sold this concertina to Don Taylor from this forum.

 

The tune played by Koot BRits is called "Katrina Settees" ("Settees" is possibly a style of dancing attributed to Scottish origin.)