Do you play other instruments?

[Clive Thorne]

Melodeon (probably my first instument, though I pick the anglo up more these days), and a bit of bass guitar. - And I played a bit of trumpet in my 40s.

Edited February 10 by Clive Thorne

[Fanie]

When I was nine my parents sent me for piano lessons, but after a couple of months the teacher gave up and told my parents that I have no musical ability. I hated the piano, because I was in a boarding house and when my friends were playing outside, I had to sit and practice in front of the piano.

Then I found a harmonica and started playing it a year or two later. Later I played bugle and trumpet in military bands.

During the Covid 19 lockdown I started collecting instruments and now I am playing Anglo concertina, melodeon, bandoneon, ukulele, banjo, charango and balalaika.

[Morgana]

I also play Tenor guitar (DGBE and CGDA), Baritone Ukulele (DGBE), Folk Harp (22 and 30 strings), and piano. In the past I have also played six string guitar, cello and trumpet and also used to sing, all a long time ago. 

[bellowbelle]

Piano accordion, again. I'd quit that years ago and only played my English concertinas (and foot bass). 

 

But after playing every day, now that we are faced with daily keeping my elderly father busy and healthy, I noticed my EC sounds a little tired. And the foot bass has a broken reed, again, so I only play it in two keys (A and Bb) so I don't need to play that broken G.

 

So....

 

Got a cute compact 120-bass PA on ebay recently, an Iorio Candido. It's not too bad, for what it cost, and had I only found a nice compact one like this years ago, I probably wouldn't have quit. So now I can play away, loudly, and not worry about wearing out my EC, which I still play, but not for the daily do! 

[bellowbelle]

Hi again, yesterday I saw an email notice about a new post in this thread, with a question for me, but now it's gone, deleted maybe. I'll try to answer it anyway. "...curious...what music is all/only in Bb or A..." (re my previous post). 

 

Well, in THIS case, we're playing old-time Baptist-type hymns from the hymnbook used in the church where my dad was formerly the pastor. (I was older when he chose that so I didn't really grow up being  PK, a preacher's kid.) 

 

It's actually been a great lesson for me, since I'd wanted to work on sightreading music (played mostly by ear as a kid). 

 

 I went through the hymnbook and found everything in the key of A. There was actually more in the key of Ab, but it turns out that it's easy to stare at those black dots and just shift it all to the key of A, as long as I remember what notes to play as sharps. So, good. 

 

Then, more good news, I found that I can easily play all the songs from the key of D collection -- but they will be played and heard in the key of A -- simply by "bumping up" my fingers' location to the concertina buttons one-up from the actual written/given key of D. So, in other words, I can stare at music that's in the key of D, still sightreading, but actually be playing in the key of A. 

 

All that is the same for Bb, too, so I was able to play all the Eb stuff "one up" in Bb. 

 

Since my main concertina is a Geordie baritone, this discovery was great, because although I love the deeper baritone sound, sometimes it can seem muddy -- so bumping it all up by a 5th -- like D up to A -- makes it higher. 

 

My husband (has emphysema, etc)  plays his harmonicas. I can't say we are all that great but there's no one around to tell us about it, lol. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[David Barnert]

11 minutes ago, bellowbelle said:

Hi again, yesterday I saw an email notice about a new post in this thread, with a question for me, but now it's gone, deleted maybe.

 

You’re not imagining things, Wendy. I saw it, too, but now it’s gone.

[Ken_Coles]

There was indeed another post in this thread, then the poster edited it  to say "oops never mind, I misread but it looks like I can't delete this comment entirely." I didn't see the original question - it had been edited out. So I took the comment out, assuming it would make the thread easier to read. I was unaware so many are using the notifications. I would not remove a germane/relevant comment.

 

Ken

[David Barnert]

8 hours ago, Ken_Coles said:

I was unaware so many are using the notifications.

 

That’s the default. You contribute to a thread, you get notifications on that thread forever unless you opt out.

[Leah Velleman]

Huh. I've never gotten notifications. I wonder if they're just going to spam, or if I opted out when setting up my account and then forgot about it. 

[Leah Velleman]

(I was the one with the deleted comment -- sorry about the confusion. I've gotten used to forums where nobody gets anything by email, and where taking down an unclear/mistaken comment makes things less confusing for everyone else, not more.)

[David Barnert]

11 hours ago, David Barnert said:

That’s the default. You contribute to a thread, you get notifications on that thread forever unless you opt out.

1 hour ago, Leah Velleman said:

Huh. I've never gotten notifications. I wonder if they're just going to spam, or if I opted out when setting up my account and then forgot about it. 

 

Maybe I opted in when I joined 20+ years ago and don’t remember. In any case, you can opt in or out at the “Following” link at upper right. It also offers a list of who’s following the topic (and allows themself to be listed). I just clicked it and discovered that only three names are listed, and considering that there are about 20 members who have posted here, I guess I was wrong about it being the default.

[RAc]

11 hours ago, David Barnert said:

 

Maybe I opted in when I joined 20+ years ago and don’t remember. In any case, you can opt in or out at the “Following” link at upper right. It also offers a list of who’s following the topic (and allows themself to be listed). I just clicked it and discovered that only three names are listed, and considering that there are about 20 members who have posted here, I guess I was wrong about it being the default.

I believe it was made the default during a forum software updatea few years ago.

[Allen Garvin]

I'm primarily a viol player. I've been doing it 17 years, and it's my Instrument For Life. I play all the sizes, pardessus down to violone, in any clef you want to throw at me. I do it weekly with friends and go to 6-7 workshops a year. Also, other early bowed strings: baroque violin, viola, rebec, vielle, lira da braccio. I'm new to the anglo concertina, 4 months, but I tried it before with a terrible Stagi in the mid 90s. I've got a 1922 chemnitzer that needs a LOT of work: I can't play anything but Christmas carols on it. I've dabbled in gobs of other instruments, early and modern, but the only other thing I play regularly these days is harpsichord: I like to entabulate my own editions of 16th century polyphony.

Concertina has turned out to be the most fun I've had in years!

[gypsea]

Family portrait ✨

[SmougyG]

I grew up playing bass guitar through my teens. I had a very good teacher that taught me jazz and a strong understanding of musical theory.

 

In my 20's I toyed around with a cross harp and a lap steel as I was growing an interest in Blues. I was hoping to work my way to a lovely brass body, biscuit cone, square neck resonator. I always had trouble spending the money on a quality guitar though cause I just couldn't convince myself that I was committed.

 

Then a couple of years ago, after a dry season of serious music playing and really only playing around on a kalimba for relaxation, some how or another I came across the concertina. I have always loved the sound of free reed instruments and the small form factor. To me the best instruments are the ones you can take most anywhere. I have always loved music and wanted to be able to play it, but the concertina was the first instrument that I enjoyed to play for the instrument's sake. I wanted to play the concertina because I enjoy the concertina.

 

So now I mainly only play my concertina and a ocarina I purchased last year to play at work when I have down time.

[Kathryn Wheeler]

Hi!

What else do I play?

 

Piano accordion - I've realised I don't really play it for folk, unless I'm accompanying.  A lot of right hand chordal stuff, interesting harmonies, really using the sustain capabilities.  Basically a portable keyboard/synth with a nice bass! Lots of pop influences. Good with singing.

 

Viola - chuggy rhythms, harmonies/countermelodies, double stopping, more soulful than my violin, which I'm not really using at the mo.

 

Medieval fiddle - love the potential of it for droning (bit like a hurdy gurdy) and the interesting tuning.