First Tune You Learned On The Concertina

[david ayres]

Monks March was my first tune, played on a Stagi bought from the Music Room.

 

                                          David

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I think at the time I bought my cheapo 48 English from Hobgoblin (Stagi?) I was totally bowled over by Alastair Anderson's book and LP Concertina Workshop. What a great introduction that was and what a shame there is nothing comparable available today. The first tune I learnt was The Blarney Pilgrim.

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[david ayres]

Sorry didnt mean to send that last message I pressed the reply button without typing a message.

 

 

I bought Alastair Andersons Concertina Workshop Album when it first came out. I agree with you its a super album do you know whether they`ve reissued it on CD ?

My copies gathering dust in the attic along with the rest of my record collection. I havent got a record player to play them on and im too sentimental to get rid of them.

 

I cant remember all the track titles without climbing into the Attic. Can you remember the names of the first set of tunes ? I play them in a fashion on my Anglo.

 

 

 

David.

[greenferry]

I thought I would revive this to see if there are any new members with fresh thoughts or any old members who didn't join in before. The first song I tried on my concertina was The Leaving of Liverpool. I was attracted to the conertina from watching Lou Killen at many Revels practices, and hearing my son sing his songs. A few weeks later, my son got hold of the concertina, which he doesn't play at all, and immediately whipped out The Leaving of Liverpool much better than I had been able to, within twenty minutes.

[Dazbo]

My first tune I learnt to play not from my tutor books was The Bear Dance cos I like it. Have now progressed to Three Rusty Swords, Hunt the Squirrel, Canal en Octobre and the Gloucester Hornpipe. Still not got to grips with Sir Sidney Smith's March after a promising start

[Dave Higham]

Shepherd's Hey again! I bet if you took a poll of morris musicians you'd find it was the tune most of them played first.

I was at at Morris Ring meeting back in the dark ages and picked up an anglo that someone had put down. Its owner promptly appeared at my side struggling with himself not to snatch it out of my hands. I said 'how's it work then?' He said 'it's like a harmonica, you start on that button and go blow suck/blow suck/blow'. Two minutes later I was playing the first few bars of Shepherd's Hey....very badly. Then he snatched it back out of my hands! But I'd caught the bug!!

[Corbin Collins]

Well, I've had my Stagi about a week now and have been concentrating on Ashokan Farewell and The Foggy Dew as my first songs. I have always found both of them haunting. I don't know whether I'm any good yet, but I have been practicing a lot and recorded myself playing both of them.

 

Ashokan Farewell

The Foggy Dew

 

I got the music for both of them from TheSession.org. It's very exciting, this online helper-world of music! Of course, my dogs are thoroughly sick of both tunes.

[Larry Stout]

The firs tune I learned on the EC was "Behind the Bush In the Garden". It is an easy jig in C.

[greenferry]

Well, I've had my Stagi about a week now and have been concentrating on Ashokan Farewell and The Foggy Dew as my first songs. I have always found both of them haunting. I don't know whether I'm any good yet, but I have been practicing a lot and recorded myself playing both of them.

 

Ashokan Farewell

The Foggy Dew

 

I got the music for both of them from TheSession.org. It's very exciting, this online helper-world of music! Of course, my dogs are thoroughly sick of both tunes.

I listened to both tunes, and you're doing a great job! Thanks for the recordings and the music source!

[Corbin Collins]

I listened to both tunes, and you're doing a great job! Thanks for the recordings and the music source!

Thanks, Barbara. Encouragement much appreciated.

 

I also picked up The Penny Whistle Book, by Robin Williamson, on eBay for, like, $4. It has the music for 56 traditional tunes, with a little story behind each one. Next week I'll start on it.

Edited March 16, 2006 by Corbin Collins

[chainyanker]

been squeezing this thing for nine months. you mean these thing will actually play a tune. just kidding. farther along was the first besides the lil diddy, where oh where has my lil dog gone.

[Theodore Kloba]

I am just curious. What was the first tune that you learned on the concertina and why did you pick that tune?

I learned (by ear) a Lithuanian folk song called "Rūtų Vainikas" (Wreath of Rues). This tune literally started me on the concertina: It was after hearing a folklore recording of it by L. Jūrevičius (No. 17 on this CD, review here) that I decided to start playing. This was after a bit of a search to find out just what kind of concertina he was playing and to discover that the last US factory making them was right under my nose. Incidentally, I recorded myself playing it early on: April 2000, and a bit later on a better instrument: March 2002. Edited March 16, 2006 by Theodore Kloba

[greenferry]

Incidentally, I recorded myself playing it early on: April 2000, and a bit later on a better instrument: March 2002.

That's a delightful piece! It reminds me a little of carousel music!

[Chris Timson]

My first tune I learnt to play not from my tutor books was The Bear Dance cos I like it. Have now progressed to Three Rusty Swords, Hunt the Squirrel, Canal en Octobre and the Gloucester Hornpipe.

All good standard tunes at our session. If ever you're in Bradford on Avon call in. You'll be in your element.

 

I thought I had forgotten my first tune but it's just come back to me. General Monk's March as ever was.

 

Chris

[PeterT]

Well, I don't remember the first tune that I learned on concertina. I was a singer who wanted to play tunes on the concertina, but not being a musician, I didn't have a store of tunes, and also didn't read music. So, it was an interesting first year or so, playing around with the instrument. Interestingly, during this period, I graduated from a Lachenal which I couldn't play, to a top quality Wheatstone which I couldn't play! At least I had no excuses.

 

After I'd been playing about 18 months (October 1982), I ventured to a Folk Club at Pinkney's Green, near Maidenhead. I decided that my first "performance" would be well away from my home patch, just in case it was a disaster. So, I do remember the first tune which I performed; it was Planxty Irwin. It seemed to go ok (i.e. no mistakes), and as I came off stage, an audience member said to me "Nice to hear a concertina played properly." So, I guess that I bluffed well even in the early stages of my playing.

 

A few years later, when I was running concertina workshops, at Sidmouth, on behalf of W.C.C.P., one of my pupils was having performance problems. He had a reasonable repertoire of interesting tunes, but used to make mistakes when performing at his local club. Hearing him play, informally, I could see that he had the ability, it was just performance nerves. My advice to him was simple; practice four or five tunes so that, at home, the performance could be replicated 10/10 times without errors. Then the tunes would be ready for public performance, and any minor mistakes would not undermine the confidence. Using this as a building block, new tunes could be similarly introduced for public performance. A year later, he returned to Sidmouth a much more confident player, and able to confirm that I was right. Some four years after that, I was delighted to take a photograph of him proudly displaying the huge shield which he won at a concertina competition.

 

As an aside, I'd adopted a similar philosophy of "don't cock it up on your own patch" when I sang in public for the first time at Alton Folk Festival, in Hampshire, back in 1979. There, I met a certain Chris Shaw who Alan Day might just remember from the Geroge sessions!

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Jerome C]

Spootiskerry, all on the C row, on one of these jobs from Red China imported by Gary Liang, arrived six weeks ago. 'Twas also the first tune I didn't totally crash and burn on in a session, but of course not nearly as quickly as the fellow who first brought it to town plays it....

[PeterT]

My first tune I learnt to play not from my tutor books was The Bear Dance cos I like it. Have now progressed to Three Rusty Swords, Hunt the Squirrel, Canal en Octobre and the Gloucester Hornpipe.

All good standard tunes at our session.

 

Any chance of someone "with technology" adding these to the Concertina.net tunes page? Thanks.

 

I'd forgotten that Bear Dance, on C/G Anglo, only uses three buttons for the melody; one on the C row, two on the G row. It doesn't have to be a complex tune to be fun in a session.

 

Peter.

[pmmack]

I am just curious. What was the first tune that you learned on the concertina and why did you pick that tune?

 

Helen

 

Dawning of the Day, right off of St. Laurance O'Toole's CD.

 

OK, I learned the tune years ago from the Royal Irish Rangers album.

 

Just not on the 'tina, which I just took up after Xmas.

[Hilary]

I bought a CG east german anglo for £20 and was playing Jamaica within half an hour! Later that week I played it in public for the morris men dancing Old Taylor. Really kind of sold me to the instrument so I went and bought a Macus...