Lockdown suggestions for Anglo beginners

[Alan Day]

Here are a few suggestions for beginners of the Anglo and hopefully others will add there suggestions to this.

Firstly write down the notes you have on the push and the pull one sheet for Left hand and one for the Right. Study this information carefully because you will see that some notes repeat and offer you alternatives on the push, or the pull. This can solve problems of air loss and offer possibilities for chords in alternative directions.

Practice scales on the push and on the pull.

If you have difficulty with certain tunes investigate the possibilities of alternative ways of making the tune easier by using the accidentals, or by playing across the rows,either on one side or by using both sides

Try using the little fingers to play base runs and allocate certain fingers for certain notes.

Above all experiment with your concertina ,you have plenty of time .

Keep clear of the virus I enjoy your company.

Al

[Jim Burke]

If you are an absolute beginner at Anglo, I think the first and most important thing to do is to get some help. Easier said than done in these days of C-19, but if you're reading this, you have internet. This means that you have access to Skype or Facetime lessons with some great players. Brenda Castles does Skype lessons, Edel Fox offered them at one time and might still, Chris Stevens the same. There are others. Without guidance at the very start, you will almost certainly "learn" some habits that will (1) seriously slow your progress and (2) be almost impossible to break later. Skype lessons are very reasonable, but if you feel you can't afford them, sign up for Caitlin Nic Gabhann's online beginner Anglo course at irishconcertinalessons.com. It isn't free, but it might as well be given the wealth of help available there. If you start at the beginning of Caitlin's beginner course and take the tunes and lessons in order, she will steer you through the minefield.

[Wolf Molkentin]

On 4/21/2020 at 2:20 PM, Jim Burke said:

Without guidance at the very start, you will almost certainly "learn" some habits that will (1) seriously slow your progress and (2) be almost impossible to break later.

 

While this may very will be true re ITM and the special requirements of the resp. playing style, I would OTOH firmly oppose to the notion of ruling out self-teaching, be it on the English or Duet - or Anglo. Playing the Anglo along the rows - it this is what a certain player is aiming at - is highly intuitive and therefore accessible.

 

Best wishes - ?

[Mikefule]

Playing across the rows is eminently achievable without a teacher.  There are many routes around the maze, some better than others, but the basic CDEF on one row and GABC on the other, leading to easy parallel octaves can be found by experiment and practice.

 

The ability to find an octave, one note on each hand, can be either the basis of a simple traditional style, or just a "get out of jail" when no other harmonic option is readily available.

 

For those who already have a small repertoire in the "main key" (C on a CG) translating those tunes to the other key (G on a CG) and crossing the row for the notes below the tonic is a good exercise that can be done by experiment and practice.

 

The Anglo was designed to be intuitive.  It lends itself to some very sophisticated playing, but we should not forget the earthy Anglo sound that comes from a good understanding of the core 20 buttons.

[Don Taylor]

I think that Jim Burke is referring to playing ITM in the modern style which is, AFAICT, not so intuitive on an Anglo concertina.  You are not usually playing in a home key and there are prescribed fingerings and ornamentations.  It is as if the concertina was being treated as a concert instrument.  Because of these constaints then it makes sense to find a teacher - if you want to excel at ITM.

 

ITM Anglo seems to be almost a different instrument compared to other forms of music played on the same type of concertina.  I think that Wolf and Mike are referring to non-ITM Anglo music: English country dance music, sea shanties, music hall tunes, cowboy songs, bush ballads, song accompaniment, etc... 

[Wolf Molkentin]

 

10 hours ago, Don Taylor said:

I think that Wolf and Mike are referring to non-ITM Anglo music:

 

indeed 

 

17 hours ago, Wolf Molkentin said:

While this may very well be true re ITM and the special requirements of the resp. playing style...

 

Best wishes - ?