Savage Hornpipe - fingering tips for EC please

[Steve Mansfield]

Hi

 

https://thesession.org/tunes/7282 (setting 1)

 

The Savage Hornpipe is a cracking tune, but all those arpeggios in the B part are (for me at least) a real stumbling block on English concertina; particularly the succession of upwards 5ths (B to f, G to d). 

 

Has anyone got any good fingering tips for that section? 

 

TIA

[Moll Peatly]

Afraid not. This is just a sympathy post -- it is a cracking tune, and I've occasionally looked at it and decided that God simply didn't intend it to be played on the EC.

 

FWIW (not much), my usual approaches to tunes with fifths are:

- If possible, cross-finger so I'm using a different finger for consecutive notes. The ideal, but some tunes you run out of fingers or get them tied up in knots.

- Use the same finger for successive notes. Not ideal, as it breaks the legato and I can't do it fast enough for something like the Savage.

- Transpose so one of the notes is on the ring finger. Not always possible, and if playing with others, they may object to whatever random key you end up in.

- Give up and play something else instead. The good news is there are plenty of other great tunes.

 

I've occasionally tried experimenting with rotating the box, vaguely Simon Thoumire-style, to see if that makes cross-fingering easier, but I've never made it work satisfactorily. I have enough other challenges with my playing that I haven't pursued it.

 

[John Wild]

On 3/13/2023 at 3:51 PM, Steve Mansfield said:

Hi

 

https://thesession.org/tunes/7282 (setting 1)

 

The Savage Hornpipe is a cracking tune, but all those arpeggios in the B part are (for me at least) a real stumbling block on English concertina; particularly the succession of upwards 5ths (B to f, G to d). 

 

Has anyone got any good fingering tips for that section? 

 

TIA

Just a quick responses, based on a visual reading of the music.

Try playing the B flat with the 3rd finger, followed by the F with the 2nd finger. The 1st finger is then ready to go to the D.

Keep the 2nd finger anchored on F for the first 2 bars. That is as far as I have gone so far. Others may offer better suggestions, but I hope this may help.

[JimLucas]

On 3/13/2023 at 4:51 PM, Steve Mansfield said:

The Savage Hornpipe is a cracking tune, but all those arpeggios in the B part are (for me at least) a real stumbling block on English concertina; particularly the succession of upwards 5ths (B to f, G to d). 

 

Has anyone got any good fingering tips for that section?

 

I've just sight-read through both that setting in Bb and the one in G, with no problems.  But I may be used to fingering options that you haven't practiced.  In particular, I always use two separate fingers for same-row fifths, though not always the same fingers or in the same order.  And that can also direct the use of a different finger than "usual" for notes before and/or after.

 

If you want details of which fingers for which notes, I could provide that, but I have some more urgent things to deal with first.  If I haven't added that before the weekend, please message me a reminder.