John Watcham book

[gcoover]

Big Announcement - new book just out:  The Anglo Concertina Music of John Watcham.

 

As many of you know, John is one of the superstars of the concertina revival, featured on the Ashley Hutchings recordings Son of Morris On and Rattlebone & Ploughjack, also the Shirley Collins recordings Adieu to Old England and Lodestar. Plus the Anglo International! CD.

 

John specializes in English Morris dance music, and has played Anglo concertina for Chingford Morris, Albion Morris, Brighton Morris and Taylor’s Morris.

 

The book includes 50 of his tunes carefully transcribed from LPs, CDs, mp3s, videos and field recordings, with only minor adjustments to make them playable on a standard 30-button C/G Anglo concertina (he plays a 39-button Jeffries system). All tunes have the same easy-to-use button numbering and tablature system found in all Rollston Press concertina books, plus Button Maps to show exactly which buttons are needed for every tune.

 

In addition to lots of photographs, the book is literally littered with smartphone-scannable QR codes that link to a delightful variety of videos and recordings, from folkrock albums to practice tunes to public dance performances to even a late-night drinking dance in a pub. John himself plays in many of these YouTube videos and SoundCloud audio files.

 

These have been my absolute favorite tunes to play on the Anglo for many years, and it has been both an honor and a pleasure to work with John to put this book together.

 

Attached is the Table of Contents plus a free sample - "Smash the Windows" from Rattlebone & Ploughjack.

 

Available now at Red Cow Music in the UK and Amazon.

 

Gary

Smash-the-Windows-WATCHAM.pdf WATCHAM-TOC.pdf

[Geoff W.]

I'm a simple man: you put out a book, I hit buy.

[Acqua]

Just purchased, can't wait to start playing!

[Alan Day]

Well done Gary.

did you include Trumpet and Air in the recordings ?

Al

[Dan Worrall]

Way to go, Gary! I've been waiting for this one. 

 

For those who may have been living under a rock (or accordion) and thus are not up to speed on what Gary has been doing at Rollston Press, here is a brief interview

 

Again, congrats on the latest!

Dan

[Kelteglow]

Hi Gary Nice book it arrived Yesterday .I am already realising that I have been playing for a long time without taking full advantage of the right hand G row for the melody There are some interesting combinations of Harmony notes .One thing you say is John Watcham uses his little finger to play a (walking base line) .Which tunes in your opinion display this best . Thanks Bob

Edited August 8, 2020 by Kelteglow
Altered Left to Right

[gcoover]

Hi Bob, 

 

Not exactly a full-blown walking bass like you find in jazz, but the little finger has some nice runs in Glorishears, Mundesse, Saturday Night, Jockie the Fair, Monck's March, Princess Royal (Longborough), Shepherd's Hey and Young Collins.

 

And for some fairly active bass note and chord stuff, Constant Billy, Sherborne Jig, Glorishears, Ladies of Pleasure and Lumps of Plum Pudding.

 

He uses a lot of those right hand G-row notes and other high notes in Birds-A-Building, Smash the Windows, Princess Royal, Persian Dance, Old Woman Tossed Up, Constant Billy.

 

With the Button Maps for every tune, it makes it easy to see in advance what buttons that tune will require. Never all 30, but sometimes a few way up in the squeaky end! It took quite a while to get my right hand little finger to cooperate on "Birds" and "Smash".

 

Gary