Mike Harding's bass concertina

[Bassconcertina.net]

Hello! I'm making this post about Mike Harding's bass concertina because I have recently bought it from him! some of you will know that I've been trying to buy a bass concertina for a while. This is also my first concertina that's not a hybrid. 

Its Wheatstone 23578, so made around 1904. its a 29 button G-bass with the low G# tuned down to F natural. Here's a video, I hold up the ends at the end so you can get a better view. here's me playing a tune I wrote.

 

[JimR]

Mike Harding's bass is loud! Nice video, but your voice is hard to hear. Could you move the mic closer to your mouth?

[Bassconcertina.net]

yes, Ill be recording with it again soon, and ill make an effort to have a better recording set up. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Bassconcertina.net

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

What a deep voice ( concertina I mean😊... A wonderfully amusing little performance. And that super deep..gruummmmbling note at the end🌝😊!!

[Bassconcertina.net]

4 hours ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

What a deep voice ( concertina I mean😊... A wonderfully amusing little performance. And that super deep..gruummmmbling note at the end🌝😊!!

Thanks! Well I needed a concertina to go bellow my bass voice! 😂 it’s hard to be heard over this when you’re singing un-amplified.

[d.elliott]

Very few Bass singers can sing to Bass instrument and maintain vocal clarity in the performance. The instruments are too powerful and the frequencies too close. You have to play some form of accompaniment a long way from the sung notes. 

[Tiposx]

Bravo! You must be really happy that you have managed to acquire such a fine instrument. I know that you have been looking for one for a long time, so well done!

[Bassconcertina.net]

15 hours ago, Tiposx said:

Bravo! You must be really happy that you have managed to acquire such a fine instrument. I know that you have been looking for one for a long time, so well done!

You know of my story, Thanks!

[Anglo-Irishman]

On 9/28/2023 at 4:57 PM, d.elliott said:

Very few Bass singers can sing to Bass instrument and maintain vocal clarity in the performance. The instruments are too powerful and the frequencies too close. You have to play some form of accompaniment a long way from the sung notes. 

I absolutely agree with this!

I'm a singer myself - the concertina is one of my accompaniment instruments. I'm a bass-baritone, and when I'm singing solo I tend to stay in my "comfort zone", which is between the E2 below the bass stave and A3. The concertina I sing to is a C/G Anglo, and my acompaniments centre around middle C (C4), which gives good separation between voice and accompaniment. My other main accompaniment instrument is the 5-string banjo, which also has a "trebly" timbre.

 

One other tip: to judge from the recording, you're singing with your voice "in the back of your throat." Try to get it farther forward in your mouth, where you'll have more resonance. You can hold a melody all right, but you can do more! 😉

 

Cheers,

John

[sadbrewer]

For anyone of a younger age... Mike Harding is a Manchester Folk singer and comedian... this link is him playing the instrument in question back in the 70’s. The Strangeways Hotel BTW is Manchester's Strangeways Prison. 

 

[Bassconcertina.net]

5 hours ago, sadbrewer said:

For anyone of a younger age... Mike Harding is a Manchester Folk singer and comedian... this link is him playing the instrument in question back in the 70’s. The Strangeways Hotel BTW is Manchester's Strangeways Prison. 

 

Thanks for this, this is the first song I heard from him, Whats funny about people of a younger age is that I'm 14. so I dont have the typical taste of someone my age.

[DaveRo]

Is this the the same instrument?

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture - at about 53 minutes

 

[Bassconcertina.net]

Yes 😃

Edited October 18, 2023 by Bassconcertina.net
really bad with technology and quoted the wrong post.

[Bassconcertina.net]

15 hours ago, DaveRo said:

Is this the the same instrument?

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture - at about 53 minutes

 

Yes 😃

[Squeezebox Of Delights]

On 10/17/2023 at 9:56 PM, DaveRo said:

Is this the the same instrument?

Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture - at about 53 minutes

 

 

Playing at my local theatre too!