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Bellows and bowing.


wunks

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14 hours ago, Mike Franch said:

Thank you, John. So, I take it that "bowing valve" is essentially just an air valve. That makes sense. You've got me thinking of the virtuosi doing all sorts of dramatic things. Maybe that's why the New Model I tried had an air lever on each side, which for simply closing the bellows from an open position would be unnecessary.

 

I have a Lachenal English here with twin bowing valves. The left hand one has a check valve on it so it only lets air in on the draw. The right hand works in both directions, though I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to do or if it originally had a check valve that opened in the opposite direction. I don't really understand how they were meant to be used while playing.

 

They have quite a small pad hole so they let air in/out far slower than the air button on a typical Anglo.

Edited by alex_holden
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On 12/15/2022 at 11:22 PM, Stephen Chambers said:

I'm reminded of "Signor" Alsepti's bowing valvesSignor Alsepti and “Regondi’s Golden Exercise”

 

I guess nobody followed my Alsepti/bowing valves link then...

 

If they had, they'd have seen how "Alsepti and Richard Ballinger, the latter an employee of the firm of Lachenal, received a patent for the invention of their so-called “bowing valves” (called “relief” valves in the patent), which, situated near the thumb strap on each side of the instrument and raised and lowered with the thumb (thus operated somewhat like the modern air valve), were supposed to permit subtle gradations with respect to both dynamic levels and the manipulation of the bellows (Alsepti likened the latter feature to the use of the bow on string instruments."

 

Allan Atlas' article also provides a link to the patent, No. 8290, dated 8 July 1885: http://www.concertina.com/patents/Alsepti-Ballinger-No-8290-of-1885.pdf

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5 hours ago, alex_holden said:

I have a Lachenal English here with twin bowing valves. The left hand one has a check valve on it so it only lets air in on the draw. The right hand works in both directions, though I'm not sure if that's what it's supposed to do or if it originally had a check valve that opened in the opposite direction. I don't really understand how they were meant to be used while playing.

 

They have quite a small pad hole so they let air in/out far slower than the air button on a typical Anglo.

 

Exactly!

 

"The right hand ... originally had a check valve that opened in the opposite direction" - they were to, at will, provide a softer sound in the opposite bellows direction, achieving effects more akin to violin bowing.

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Myself, I believe that most methods of forming sound can be played by the instrument as it stands, without reliance on special valves, for example playing loud, or quiet, by more or less pressure on bellows ( as much as a particular  instrument will allow).. and by shaping sound combination of bellow pressure alongside button pressing technique.

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1 hour ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

...and by shaping sound...  ...button pressing technique.

 

I've seen you mention button pressing technique once before, and I don't think I've ever seen anyone else describe anything similar. Are you saying you sometimes press a button part way in order to restrict airflow to the reed? What sorts of effects are you trying to accomplish?

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It's not easy to describe exactly in the way a button is used to form note, I suppose no easier to ascertain how a 'bow' is used by a player, in exact terms. But, ( even with my make of concertina) if I use pressure lightly or more heavily, it does shape the sound very subtly. It does not come out in recordings made, due to my limited settings, and domestic situation, but a sort of smoothness from note to note, portamento, and quietness can be formed with many factors, along with less pressure on bellows.

And gradual transition from button to button can make a slur possible. 

Whereas the staccatto is a slight stabbing onto buttons. However that is only my own views, and everyone else will have also different opinions.

 

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I am inclined to wonder whether a "bowing" valve was ever much more than a gimmick. I note Stephen's quotation about what they were supposed to do, but what can you achieve by way of "dynamic levels" by letting some air through the valve at the same time as playing a note that you can't achieve by just squeezing or pulling more gently? I can see that sometimes on an English you might want to play a short phrase in one bellows direction and a long phrase in the other direction, so there would be some virtue in being able to let air in or out quickly, as one does on an Anglo. But even then, what was the supposed benefit of having two separate valves, one for push and one for pull?

Edited by Richard Mellish
Corrected a typo
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On 12/20/2022 at 1:00 PM, Stephen Chambers said:

 

Exactly!

 

"The right hand ... originally had a check valve that opened in the opposite direction" - they were to, at will, provide a softer sound in the opposite bellows direction, achieving effects more akin to violin bowing.

It also strikes me that, if fitted to an anglo it would be an "Easy" way of maintaining the bellows where you want them.

i.e. if you're getting a bit compressed then holding the appropriate "Bowing" valve would allow the bellows to expand a bit more on the pull notes. Conversely holding the other valve would allow it to compress a bit more on the push notes.

It would avoid having to "snatch" extra movement using the conventional air button.

 

Not suggesting that this is ever what they were intended for.

 

Edited by Clive Thorne
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On 12/15/2022 at 7:41 PM, Luke Hillman said:

When I picked up a fiddle for the first time about two weeks ago, I found my brain trying to map Anglo bellows direction onto the bow direction. Great job, brain! Very helpful! 🥲

When I first started (on melodeon) I found myself breathing in synch with the bellows. If I ran out of air in the bellows I also stopped breathing - until instinct kicked in and saved the day. 

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11 hours ago, Clive Thorne said:

When I first started (on melodeon) I found myself breathing in synch with the bellows. If I ran out of air in the bellows I also stopped breathing

This happened to me, too, when I started out on the Anglo. I regarded this as a result of having played the mouth-organ since childhood. I soon realised that my hands had taken over the function of my diaphragm, but the feeling for when to blow/press and when to suck/draw was already there, and so the Anglo was intuitive for me.

 

One other thing I transferred fron the mouth-organ was the use of my nose (which, in the light of the present discussion, might be regarded as an "anatomical bowing-valve"). To prepare for a long "suck" phrase following a short "blow" phrase, you can expel more air than actrualy needed to sound the notes, thus creating adequate lung capacity. This technique transferred quite neatly to the air-button technique on the Anglo.

 

Cheers,

John

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I tried using the air button on my duet to vary the volume of individual notes.  The effect was noticeable and pleasant.  Much more control from starting pressure to full sound.  to compare it to bowing, it's something like a "gliss" where the bow is drawn lightly and the noting fingers rest atop the strings without pressing them down to the fingerboard.  I use it intuitively on the fiddle sometimes for waltzes and accompanying vocals....😊

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I also noticed a little of the air button allows for a "soft start" of very low reeds instead of a sharp puff to get them going.  This happens automatically when playing other notes simultaneously but if no other note is played the reed may fail to start.  

 

As this thread winds down, I'll add that the above effects are apparent with a much smaller amt. of air than you'd get with a fully depressed wind button. This leads me to guess that the smaller openings and levers instead of buttons were to maximize and facilitate control of these effects. 

 

Thanx for all the replies and Happy Holidays!

 

Peace Health and Harmony,

 

Erik

Edited by wunks
more info,
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