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Good tunes to practice bellows and air button technique?


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Hi!

 

I've been learning along Gary Coover's Easy Anglo 1-2-3, as well as learning a few tunes I like alongside, and it's going fairly well so far.

 

However, I often find myself painted in a corner with bellows either fully drawn out or fully closed. Since my instrument only has 5 folds to the bellows, and given that's unlikely to change, I figured I'd better start working on improving my technique to better manage that downside.

 

Therefore, what would be some tunes suitable for 20b anglo that would make for good practice pieces?

 

Thank you!

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I think that every tune that you learn will teach you something worth knowing. The more tunes you learn the better you will play.

 

That said, if you are running out of air, here is what I suggest...

 

1. Use the air button while playing notes. Pick a spot in the tune that goes in the direction you need, and tap the air button with your thumb while you play to add or subtract a little gasp of air. I keep my thumb lightly touching the air button at all times, even when I'm not pushing it. The thumb quickly learns when to push all on its own, just like breathing, you don't really have to think about it after a while.

 

2. Find alternate directions to play parts of the tune. If a section has too much draw, find some push in it. There is often a viable way to play the same bit of music in the other bellows direction.

 

3. Play quietly in the offending direction. Quiet play will use way less air and so you can play longer before running out of breath. Playing quietly is much more difficult than playing loudly, but well worth the effort to master it. This method of managing the bellows is the best of the three because it is the most musical. Quiet play is also useful for creating a warm and compelling tone.

 

4. take some lessons with me and I'll show you how it's done.

 

 

Edited by Jody Kruskal
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5-folds is very limiting for an Anglo!

 

Excellent comments from Jody and Cathasach. A more staccato approach can also help. When learning, one tends to push/pull harder and play slower, both of which can eat a lot of air, but luckily this situation improves as you become better at playing the tune.

 

Work toward playing with a lighter touch, up to speed, and along with "feathering" the air button while playing you should eventually be in pretty good shape. Best of luck!

 

Gary

 

 

 

 

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I always consider it being rather like a woodwind player having to consider when to take breath in playing ( in this I now know a bit more more recently having  taken to playing a Chalumeau myself)..

I think best way is through experience, and practice, some tunes have a lot of outward bellows needs, whilst other are all in on bellows. Try and find a place where you can pause slightly in the tune . A composer will expect a musician to take breath now and again with their music ( and not strain to find a gulp of air) even with concertina. Concertina had its own "lungs" the bellows to fill with air. A bit like a commar in reading a sentence🌝.

 

Edited by SIMON GABRIELOW
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If you're only treating the concertina like a woodwind, you're leaving options on the table. The ability to take a breath while also playing notes is a novel feature of the instrument, and we should take advantage of it in our playing.

 

Composers do not necessarily expect musicians to take breaths. Plenty of music is written for violin, keyboard, and other instruments that do not have such a limitation. It's often up to the musician to make adaptations to accommodate their instrument, as Irish penny whistle players do when they leave out entire notes to make room for a breath without disturbing the rhythm of the tune. Learning to make such adjustments in a way that supports the music instead of interrupting or distracting from it is also a good skill to develop.

 

Jody and Gary have pretty well covered other techniques for bellows management. As far as tunes to develop those skills, Ludovic, it sounds like you've already encountered some that present a challenge on your specific instrument, and that seems to me like a fine place to start. That might take you farther than you expect. You could also take a tune you like and intentionally play long passages in a single direction, where possible - this is also good practice for finding the alternate buttons for notes. Finally, I've found that the keys of F and Bb tend to favor pull notes a lot more, so choosing tunes in those keys (or transposing to them) is another option.

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Right you are Gary. "a more staccato approach" should have been #4 of my list. This is a very good method to manage the bellows. Shorter notes use less air. Also, for those of us who are playing lots of buttons all the time, playing fewer notes also uses less air.

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