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What're you working on this week on concertina?


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I'm curious how people are whiling away the quarantine hours on their concertinas.  Anyone working on anything fun? New stuff, same old stuff but better, anything you're using this time to focus on improving or just enjoying playing around on the ol squeeze box?

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Just finished re-jigging all the reed positions, valving, valve springs and tuning of a Lachenal double action English bass concertina ('c' bass), now servicing a Wheatstone 48k English treble. Playing wise just some Simon & Garfunkle Stuff.

 

Dave

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With all gigs canceled for the indefinite future and the Morris dance season on hold, I've been playing around with a lot of new music by innovative European players, mostly in France, Belgium and the UK.  But also Italy, like this experiment -  Riccardo Tesi's 'La Marcia dei criceti.'  On 30 button Jeffries Anglo.  A far cry from my usual, but I'm enjoying it immensely.  Also revisiting my Morris repertoire....I've been playing some of these tunes for so long, it's time to figure out some new ways to do them. And working on several jazz pieces with Randy Stein on English.

 

 

Edited by Jim Besser
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Thanks for sharing the recording, Jim. I am always interested to hear stuff besides ITM and Morris tunes on the Anglo, though I do enjoy those genres as well :)

 

What's your recording setup? It sounds very high-fidelity, lots of details.

 

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I know it’s not exactly a concertina, but I’m currently practicing my restoration skills by consolidating a very old, very broken, very basic Lachenal case. I’m literally just glueing it back together, plugging the holes, painting in the old horrible white glue marks, putting a new lining in, making new straps etc. etc., but it’s quite fun. I think I will also modify it a bit, as it is of the standing-up sort, which I know isn’t ideal for concertinas.

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2 hours ago, perspiration said:

Thanks for sharing the recording, Jim. I am always interested to hear stuff besides ITM and Morris tunes on the Anglo, though I do enjoy those genres as well :)

 

What's your recording setup? It sounds very high-fidelity, lots of details.

 

 

I'm using 2 SM57 dynamic mics,, one on each side of the instrument, feeding a Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface to my desktop Mac, recording with GarageBand using moderate compression. I have been experimenting with other digital audio software, but GarageBand seems to work well and is easy to use.  Having experimented with on-board mic systems for years, I have become a believer in external fixed mics for a variety of reasons. For live sound I use 2 KSM137 condenser mics, but they are overkill for home recording.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, gcoover said:

Anybody familiar with the brilliant Japanese rock band SCANDAL? I don't think I'll ever be a cute Japanese girl, but I'm pretty sure I can make one of their tunes fit the 30-button Anglo in Em.


Gary

 

Go for it, Gary.

 

Randy Stein and I are doing a workshop at next month's (virtual) Northeast Squeeze In: Squeezebox Oddities: TUnes You'd Never Expect  to Hear on Squeezebox." I'm sure you have some good candidates.

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Trying to perfect "Devon Bellringing song" on Wheatstone baritone after listening to the lateTony Rose  album "Exe". Repairs to a 30 key Lachenal anglo and Amelia (my unknown maker EC)  on hold as I wait for parts from the UK. 

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I'm booked into the JK weekend in October, so my mission before that (if it goes ahead), is to know, instantly, the notes on all my (36) buttons. Also to learn a few non C/G Scales (though I realise that there is a big difference between knowing a scale and being able to play a tune in that scale!), starting with D so I can jam along with the D/G melodeons.

 

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6 hours ago, Steve Mansfield said:

I’m working on a church harmonium-style arrangement of one of our songs on the Morse baritone EC. I might post a sound file when I’m done - though i say it myself, its coming on nicely! 

 

This sounds like something I'd love to hear, please share when done!

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Well, "lockdown " does strange things to a man. Despite what I posted last year about not making any more 'tines, there I was at the shack, where I'd hidden away for the 6 weeks of Tasmania's lockdown from late March onward, filing reeds for 6 new 'tines, I know, madness. Madness in isolation can be quiet pleasant, the world was mad not I! I got six sets of reeds filed, the gardens nicely civilised, lots of fishing and solitary long walks along deserted beaches and  silent forests paths and hours of classical radio; then it finished -- I could go home and reacquaint myself with kitchen duties. Just so happened reed making creates much less mess than violin plate gouging, I could sit at the table for 4 hours each day and admire the view while scraping: see below

 

So now I have three new completed instruments, and three just two weeks off completion. The 'Lockdown model." Two each of A/E; G/D, and C/G, one each of wood and metal ends.

 

My son wags his head in despair, then downright disbelief when telling him about the 31 button 5 inch model I have on the back burner.

 

David

 

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