Appcordions concertina apps - how to hold it right

[Don Taylor]

I am curious to know how folks hold their smart phones or iPads while using one of Michael Eskin's concertina apps.

 

Do you hold it flat on your lap with the screen facing upwards and play it like a two dimensional piano or a Jammer interface, or do you hold it almost vertically with the screen facing away from you in imitation of the how you would play a real concertina?

 

Or maybe some other way?

 

I am particularly interested to hear from Duettina players as I am hoping to persuade Michael to implement a new, larger Hayden layout for the iPad.  

 

Personally, I have not used the Duettina app much as I had mistakenly assumed it only supported the mirrored Wicki keyboard layout.  Since then I have tried it both ways and think that I prefer the laptop orientation rather than the semi-upright orientation. However, I am really not in a position to pass judgement, so I will largely discount my own opinion in favour of more seasoned users (David?).

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Don.

[Roger Hare]

5 hours ago, Don Taylor said:

I am curious to know how folks hold their smart phones or iPads while using one of Michael Eskin's concertina apps...

 

I had never given these programs any thought till I saw the photographs in ME's recent thread.

I too was going to ask this question, but Don has beaten me to it! Just how do folks use these

tablet-based concertina applications?

[Michael Eskin]

Depends on the app. Englitina on the iPhone generally is played holding the iPhone on the edges with the thumb and little finger and the phone facing up,  or anchored as my friend John O’Hara is doing in this video:

 

 

Or this one, from my old Uillitina app that is the same as Englitina but with Uilleann pipes sounds. (I should resurrect this one!):

 

 

 

The IPhone Concertina app is generally played with the phone held between the thumbs and little fingers as in this video:

 

 

 

The iPad apps are generally just played with the iPad on the lap for EnglitinaXL

 

 

or on one leg so it can be tilted for ConcertinaXL:

 

 

On the latest iPad Pro models, it’s useful to put a foam tube (I use a piece of split pipe insulation) wrapped around the edge of the iPad to create a handrest to put the handin a more natural position and to get the palm off the screen. 

 

The old models had wider bezels and you could lean your hand against the device without touching it with your palm.

 

Hope that is useful.

[Michael Eskin]

Just to be clear, those videos are quite old and the sound and features of the apps may be different in the modern versions.  

[Michael Eskin]

Once you get used to playing the apps, the next step down the rabbit hole just to start to use the MIDI controller versions of the apps to  control MIDI synth apps running on the same device:

 

 

 

?

 

[David Barnert]

13 hours ago, Don Taylor said:

I will largely discount my own opinion in favour of more seasoned users (David?).

 

 

Before I got the 6+ I had a 4S, and the screen was too small to fit my fingers on. Back then I used an iPad with the double image size option, but I have not done that in years.

 

Michael, I hope you weren’t driving...

[Michael Eskin]

Awesome video David! Mind if I add a link to it on the AppCordions Concertina apps page?

[David Barnert]

1 hour ago, eskin said:

Awesome video David! Mind if I add a link to it on the AppCordions Concertina apps page?

 

Thanks. Sure, go ahead. You’ve seen it before, when I first posted it in 2014. The 5th comment in that thread is yours.

 

Note the flash of the old “Tradlessons” screen, however. This was from before Appcordions.

[Michael Eskin]

Thanks!  A lot of my videos still have the old branding.

[LateToTheGame]

I am definitely going to try this app, but I think I will be tempted to fold my ipad in half! Ha!

[David Barnert]

21 hours ago, LateToTheGame said:

I am definitely going to try this app, but I think I will be tempted to fold my ipad in half! Ha!

 

You don’t want to fold it like this /\/\/\/\/\ ?          ?

[LateToTheGame]

 

On 8/6/2018 at 7:48 PM, David Barnert said:

 

You don’t want to fold it like this /\/\/\/\/\ ?          ?

Yeah, Ideally I'd get two ipad minis and  tape a couple of pairs of old socks between them.  But then I'd have to learn to play upside down on one hand since the image would keep flipping. Hmmmm.   I did find an adventurous soul when I searched Facebook to see if there was a concertina presence... ( None I could find that seemed very active.)  My daily feed is filled with Boukoukis and Tenor Banjos, Chiffs and Fipples, low whistles and the most active of all--- The Traditional Irish Button Accordion page-- lots of great posts daily.)  But I did run into  an Electronic Concertina maker from South Africa. You guys probably all know about that invention.  I'm not tempted, but I applaud the ingenuity.

[Don Taylor]

7 hours ago, LateToTheGame said:

But I did run into  an Electronic Concertina maker from South Africa. You guys probably all know about that invention. 

Can you post a link?

[LateToTheGame]

On 8/8/2018 at 8:05 AM, Don Taylor said:

Can you post a link?

I am a massive luddite where links are concerned. But if you are on Facebook -- Electronic Concertina should get you there.

Edited August 10, 2018 by LateToTheGame

[Don Taylor]

OK thanks.  I am not on Facebook but Google found this link for me:

Facebook electronic concertina

 

[David Barnert]

Just as a reminder that there’s more than one electronic concertina, here’s me at NESI in 2001 playing Paul Everett’s MIDI Hayden (that’s Paul on the right, wearing red).

[Michael Eskin]

I used to have a Wakker wireless MIDI Anglo. Fun instrument, but required a lot of maintenance to avoid switch bounce from contact corrosion.

Edited August 11, 2018 by eskin
Typo

[LateToTheGame]

On 8/10/2018 at 3:55 PM, Don Taylor said:

OK thanks.  I am not on Facebook but Google found this link for me:

Facebook electronic concertina

 

Great. It looks like an oddity, but who knows.