Old English music, folk songs, and ragtime on Anglo

[David Barnert]

My pleasure.

[Kelteglow]

I always play standing for Morris and when not in a procession I use a small foldable footrest that the guitarists tend to use ..Bob

Edited November 25, 2018 by Kelteglow

[Brian Peters]

I've been known to use my melodeon case, but my concertina case doesn't get the knee sufficiently high.

[Little John]

On 11/25/2018 at 12:51 PM, Brian Peters said:

I've been known to use my melodeon case, but my concertina case doesn't get the knee sufficiently high.

 

I saw Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne using just a concertina case and tried it myself. It was certainly better than nothing and gave considerable extra stability to the instrument. I've never seen John Kirkpatrick use any support, but then his Crabb is exceptionally light with aluminium reed frames and ends.

 

LJ

[Brian Peters]

Good point Little John.  When I think about it, I've only seen JK use his accordion case when playing the big button box, and he's always played the anglo without support.  He makes a lot of use of cross-rowing so doesn't need to waggle the bellows about so much, which is usually when the thing needs a bit of extra stability.

[Mikefule]

On 11/25/2018 at 12:51 PM, Brian Peters said:

I've been known to use my melodeon case, but my concertina case doesn't get the knee sufficiently high.

 

 

Haha!  I can do something that Brian Peters struggles with!  I feel so validated as a musician.

 

Admittedly, I can use my concertina case as a footrest only because I am a shortarse, and you are tall, and willowy but I'll take the validation where I can get it.  

[Jim Besser]

On 11/23/2018 at 12:51 PM, Brian Peters said:

Hi folks,

 

I've just uploaded a few videos featuring Anglo to my long-moribund Youtube channel, so please drop by if you will.

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmJQx9Wz7Pz3WLelPihYOAA

Brian

 

Great stuff, Brian.A few years back I actually copied your version of Robinson's Tune for our yearly and thankfully brief Abbot's Bromley performance. "Thankfully" because we only do it on the night of the winter solstice, outside, processing up and down a very cold street.  Not surprisingly, I associate the tune with pain.

 

I'm surprised more Anglo players don't get into ragtime/Tin Pan Alley tunes.  My current obsession is the music of Kerry Mills - tunes like Old Heidelburg, The Kerry Mills Barn Dance, Whistling Rufus and At a Georgia Camp Meeting work surprisingly well on concertina, not to mention his classic Redwing. And I learned something approximating your version of Weeping Willow.  

[Brian Peters]

2 hours ago, Mikefule said:

Haha!  I can do something that Brian Peters struggles with!  I feel so validated as a musician.

Admittedly, I can use my concertina case as a footrest only because I am a shortarse, and you are tall, and willowy but I'll take the validation where I can get it.  

 

'Tall and willowy' is not something I get called on a regular basis, but I'll take it as a compliment...

 

And although we all love to achieve challenging targets and gain the approbation of our peers, actually having fun playing music is the best validation IMO!

[Brian Peters]

2 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

 

Great stuff, Brian.A few years back I actually copied your version of Robinson's Tune for our yearly and thankfully brief Abbot's Bromley performance. "Thankfully" because we only do it on the night of the winter solstice, outside, processing up and down a very cold street.  Not surprisingly, I associate the tune with pain.

 

I'm surprised more Anglo players don't get into ragtime/Tin Pan Alley tunes.  My current obsession is the music of Kerry Mills - tunes like Old Heidelburg, The Kerry Mills Barn Dance, Whistling Rufus and At a Georgia Camp Meeting work surprisingly well on concertina, not to mention his classic Redwing. And I learned something approximating your version of Weeping Willow.  

 

Pinewoods Camp in August was certainly less challenging than the Winter solstice, Jim.

 

Nice idea to use Anglo for those kind of tunes.  I didn't know 'Old Heidelburg' but have just looked it up - nice tune, and the challenge would be to fit in some of those jazzy chords that the piano player does.  I'd be interested to hear what you do with it, Jim.  I have to admit that 'Weeping Willow Rag' took a lot of working out.

[Wolf Molkentin]

2 hours ago, Brian Peters said:

Nice idea to use Anglo for those kind of tunes.

 

I reckon you‘re aware of this much-played video... ?

[Brian Peters]

4 minutes ago, Wolf Molkentin said:

 

I reckon you‘re aware of this much-played video... ?

 

Actually I wasn't, and very nice it is too.  Thanks for that - it now has an extra view to add to the 75,000+, and an extra 'Like' as well.  But how on earth could 7 people find it within themselves to give that a thumbs-down?  Though having said that I recall a chap who came to one of my melodeon workshops and became very angry because I'd committed the musically elitist sin of talking about modal scales in analysing a tune.  Not only did he storm out in the middle of the session, but he took the trouble to seek out all of my videos on Youtube and dislike every one!

[Mikefule]

20 hours ago, Brian Peters said:

 

'Tall and willowy' is not something I get called on a regular basis, but I'll take it as a compliment...

 

And although we all love to achieve challenging targets and gain the approbation of our peers, actually having fun playing music is the best validation IMO!

 

To be honest, I very seldom play in front of other musicians, and play almost exclusively for my own enjoyment.  In other contexts, such as Morris dancing, singing in pub sessions, and performing as Fool with my Morris side, it is more about entertaining someone else, but the Anglo is a very private joy.

 

You probably won't remember me but I met you briefly at Poppy Folk Club, Nottingham.  You sang and played other boxes for the entire first half.  In the interval, I asked if you were going to play any Anglo and you very kindly tweaked your programme to include a couple of extra Anglo items.  (Or, at least, allowed me to believe that you had changed your plan for me!)  Thanks.  

[Brian Peters]

23 hours ago, Mikefule said:

 

To be honest, I very seldom play in front of other musicians, and play almost exclusively for my own enjoyment.  In other contexts, such as Morris dancing, singing in pub sessions, and performing as Fool with my Morris side, it is more about entertaining someone else, but the Anglo is a very private joy.

 

You probably won't remember me but I met you briefly at Poppy Folk Club, Nottingham.  You sang and played other boxes for the entire first half.  In the interval, I asked if you were going to play any Anglo and you very kindly tweaked your programme to include a couple of extra Anglo items.  (Or, at least, allowed me to believe that you had changed your plan for me!)  Thanks.  

 

I do remember the occasion, Mike.  I was performing with Gordon Tyrrall, so had a limited choice of repertoire to play with.  I will always try and play a couple of extra things on anglo if there's a fellow player in the room, especially when requested!

[Jim Besser]

On 12/8/2018 at 12:42 PM, Brian Peters said:

 

Pinewoods Camp in August was certainly less challenging than the Winter solstice, Jim.

 

Nice idea to use Anglo for those kind of tunes.  I didn't know 'Old Heidelburg' but have just looked it up - nice tune, and the challenge would be to fit in some of those jazzy chords that the piano player does.  I'd be interested to hear what you do with it, Jim.  I have to admit that 'Weeping Willow Rag' took a lot of working out.

 

I'll try to record Old Heidelburg this week or next. I'm finding it more  challenging than other Kerry Mills tunes.  I thought I had it nailed, then played it with the metronome and was fairly appalled - the rhythmic shift from A to B and back to A really threw me.  

[Brian Peters]

23 hours ago, Jim Besser said:

 

I'll try to record Old Heidelburg this week or next. I'm finding it more  challenging than other Kerry Mills tunes.  I thought I had it nailed, then played it with the metronome and was fairly appalled - the rhythmic shift from A to B and back to A really threw me.  

 

Practicing with a metronome may be good discipline, but it can also deliver a very nasty shock!

[RAc]

Hi everybody,

 

I hope this doesn't qualify as threadjacking, but I'd like to re-use this thread to point to one of my Crane duet (not anglo) recordings:

 

Smokey Mokes

 

This is a cakewalk, a predecessor of ragtime. Played on my Holden#3 45 button Crane duet.

 

Most non-piano recordings of this piece leave out the trio. I believe this is because it was made popular by Ton van Bergeijks's rendition on his classic "famous ragtime guitar solos" album in which he omits the trio. It does fit pretty well on the Crane, though.

 

As usual, thanks for listening!