How Possible Is It To Do Jeffries-To-Wheatstone Layout Conversions?

[Jody Kruskal]

I've nothing at all against G/D instruments, and musicians like Jody do wonders with them, but remember that it is possible to play quite a lot of tunes in G, on a C/G instrument, in the correct pitch, and with full chording. The way I do it is to play the lower end of the scale (G above middle C to E) 'on the pull' on the C row, and anything above that on the RH G row. The first two notes of the scale are the pulled G at button 4 on the top (accidentals) row (LH) and the pushed A on the same button - both using the index finger - allowing a pulled G chord using the other fingers to be set against the first note of the scale. A tune like 'Speed the Plough' works fine like that, though tunes that go below G - i.e. to F# and lower - become much more difficult to harmonize as more LH fingers are needed for melody notes.

 

Jim has a good point abut projecting over massed melodeons by playing an octave high.

 

Personally I find the corresponding G/A reversal at top row button 2 on the RH of a Wheatstone-system instrument absolutely integral to the way I play. But that's probably just me.

 

Hi Brian, Well... this is a fingering I haven't really explored in my own playing "The first two notes of the scale are the pulled G at button 4 on the top (accidentals) row (LH) and the pushed A on the same button - both using the index finger - allowing a pulled G chord using the other fingers to be set against the first note of the scale."

 

I like it! Thanks!

 

Instead of your draw push, I usually play G and A as draw draw with the G as you say and the draw A being LH button #5 at the top of the C row.

 

However, your way works a treat... freeing up another finger is always good though my way is smoother without the bellows change. BTW, your way is fine in both C/G and G/D (transposed) as well as Wheatstone and the Jefferies system too.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Jody Kruskal

[Luke Hillman]

I've nothing at all against G/D instruments, and musicians like Jody do wonders with them, but remember that it is possible to play quite a lot of tunes in G, on a C/G instrument, in the correct pitch, and with full chording. The way I do it is to play the lower end of the scale (G above middle C to E) 'on the pull' on the C row, and anything above that on the RH G row. The first two notes of the scale are the pulled G at button 4 on the top (accidentals) row (LH) and the pushed A on the same button - both using the index finger - allowing a pulled G chord using the other fingers to be set against the first note of the scale. A tune like 'Speed the Plough' works fine like that, though tunes that go below G - i.e. to F# and lower - become much more difficult to harmonize as more LH fingers are needed for melody notes.

 

Jim has a good point abut projecting over massed melodeons by playing an octave high.

 

Personally I find the corresponding G/A reversal at top row button 2 on the RH of a Wheatstone-system instrument absolutely integral to the way I play. But that's probably just me.

 

Well, now my entire pantheon of concertina gods has responded to my silly thread about layout conversions. Hi Brian! I'm experimenting with your method and for the most part it works wonderfully, though on my hybrid it's tough to get through many tunes without a headache due to the extreme heights of the higher octave. May Day approaches, though, so I look forward to cutting viciously through those melodeons and our soprano saxophone (because why wouldn't we have a sax?). Thanks for the tip

[Steve_freereeder]

Personally I find the corresponding G/A reversal at top row button 2 on the RH of a Wheatstone-system instrument absolutely integral to the way I play. But that's probably just me.

 

I also much prefer the Wheatstone layout of the top row on the RH. That's partly because I learned from Brian (thanks Brian!) but also because the Wheatstone system inherently follows the mirror octave spacing of 4 buttons on the push and 5 buttons on the pull, which makes playing in octaves, e.g. in the style of Scan Tester, far more logical (to me anyway).

 

Cheers,

Steve (escaping from melodeon.net for a while)