Reflections On Whitney

[Clive Thorne]

Well, My first 'Witney''s been and gone, so I thought I'd share my thoughts.

 

Firstly; my apologies - I didn't (as far as I know) get to speak to any of the C netters there except Brian. Geoff (W); I was even sat in Brian's workshop with you and still didn't get to say hello. Unfortunately I had other things to do on the Saturday evening, so had to skip the concert which would have been a good opportunity to say a few hellos. I also missed the Friday session as I didn't get home till about 8pm and was just too knackered to face the drive.

 

I went to 'Anglo Basics' with Andy Turner and 'A Voyage Around Your Anglo" with Brian Peters. Both were excellent sessions.

 

Even Andy's 'Anglo Basics' session stretched my brain, and filled in many gaps in my knowledge and approach. Being self taught and generally playing in isolation I have apparently by-passed many of the possibilities.

 

Brian's session pushed the ideas of chords and cross row playing further. I generally tend to play chords anyway, but generally play the melody up and down the row unless I really have to change. This session really opened up my eyes to the chording possibilities when you get used to crossing the rows more readily.

 

The other thing that came over was that you don't have to play the full chord all the time, which my fingers really like the idea of!.

 

I came out of both sessons rather brain dead. I absorbed the ideas, even managed to play the isolated bars correctly eventually, but as soon as I tried to put a whole tune together it would all fall to pieces, so I'm afraid I was generally just playing the melody of just the chords by the time the end of day 'Showcase' came around. Lots of work and practise required I think!

 

 

My only critism of the weekend is that the music came out far too late - just one week before, and I was away in Ireland for that week, limiting the time I could put in. Mind you, not reading the dots, I made the mistake of learning one of the tunes an octave above (and hence largely on a different row) to what I was meant to, and no amount of time would have helped with that.

 

One bonus for me was that, although both sessions were mainly aimed at technique, I have come away with the basics of four really nice tunes that I previously didn't know, and tunes that will, in the fullness of time, have nice accompaniments.

 

 

Brian, if you're reading this then thanks for a great session, and if you should see Andy Turner please pass on my thanks to him to.

 

 

Clive

 

Edited for spelling and stuff, but I'm sure there's plenty I've missed

Edited October 5, 2005 by Clive Thorne

[Geraghty]

Hi Clive -

 

I was in your classes - I was the one who switched into Andy's class in the afternoon. I was pretty amazed at how much you guys had done by the time I got there. Wish I had been there from the beginning...

 

Brian's class was excellent as well, I really enjoyed it even though I don't think I was as prepared for it as I had thought. Thanks to everyone for your patience as he explained some chording basics to me!

 

If anyone has recordings of the tunes from those two classes I would love to receive them...I can't read music so I rely on the sounds.

[geoffwright]

I think it was something like my 6th Witney concertinas, and I still find them maddening - they make you want to unlearn everything you have done all your playing life and try a different method. Not a bad thing.

 

It is almost impossible to cater for all levels, although some Witney courses are classed as such.

When you have sight-readers, slower readers and non-readers in the same class, do you teach everything by ear? Would you get through less or more music teaching by ear? I'm not sure.

Brian's Saturday course was for all systems - another problem when you have 3 different concertina systems on the go.

Saturday was nearly as much chat as playing - tune collections are an interest of mine so I enjoyed that, others may have been wanting to play more.

 

I am happy with chord theory and cross finger only to play in different keys, but don't use chords much so Sunday was of interest.

Sundays course boiled down to the same old story - if you want to play more than 3 chords, you have to start cross fingering to play bits of the tune in one direction. And to do that, you need to start to learn anglo scales in one direction.

Food for thought for all anglo players (that want to play chords).

 

Well done Brian.

[Clive Thorne]

I still find them maddening - they make you want to unlearn everything you have done all your playing life and try a different method. Not a bad thing.

 

I think I come out with a split personality; part of me excited by the possibilities, part of me depressed by how much there is to learn.

 

Clive

[Brian Peters]

I absorbed the ideas, even managed to play the isolated bars correctly eventually, but as soon as I tried to put a whole tune together it would all fall to pieces, so I'm afraid I was generally just playing the melody of just the chords by the time the end of day 'Showcase' came around. Lots of work and practise required I think!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks to all three members of my class for your kind comments. Feedback is always appreciated, and not just when I'm onstage with a highly-amplified Stratocaster instead of an anglo. The point of the showcase at these events, as I see it, is (1) to encourage a sense of community between the different tutorial groups, who can see what the others have been up to, (2) to give non-professional musicians the opportunity to play music in front of an audience - sometimes nerve-racking, but ultimately good experience, and (3) to demonstrate to the course organiser that the teacher has actually been doing something to justify their fee. No-one expects the students to have perfected every detail of the day's work by showcase time; the real learning process carries on for weeks and months afterwards.

My only critism of the weekend is that the music came out far too late

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You should mention this to the management if you feel strongly about it. I submitted my music in time for the official deadline, but it was later than usual this year. I have mixed feelings about the music pack. On the one hand, it helps the class a lot if the students already know how to find the notes of a given tune, so they can concentrate during the workshop on the real work of harmonizing it, phrasing it or whatever. The only trouble is that - as you know - one of the things I teach is flexibility, and if someone has learned the tune very rigorously in a particular way, they may well end up having to unlearn it again (the reason I seldom specify chords in the advance sheet music). As in fact you did, having first learnt the tune in the wrong octave.

It is almost impossible to cater for all levels, although some Witney courses are classed as such.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Always a difficult one, and that's without considering the problem of students having to assess their own ability: either over- or under-estimating it. How do you classify yourself if you're an expert tune player who has never used chords, for instance? Generally, though, people in a group are very understanding of an individual who wants to go over a point more than once, so long as there's not the feeling that really that person shouldn't have chosen to be there. I would always provide music, since even an unconfident reader can use the general shape of the melody as a re-inforcement of what they're hearing.

Brian's Saturday course was for all systems - another problem when you have 3 different concertina systems on the go.

Saturday was nearly as much chat as playing - tune collections are an interest of mine so I enjoyed that, others may have been wanting to play more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Course organisers these days are demanding more and more that tutors teach at least part of the weekend in an "any-system" class, to discourage fragmentation and factionalism. But of course there's a limit to what we can do in that situation. Repertoire - yes; phrasing and expression - yes to some extent; fingering, chording and harmony - with great difficulty. Finding myself in front of roomfuls of English-system players is one reason I've been experimenting with band arrangements.

I like to chat about repertoire - I know some players like to do nothing but play all day, but just sitting there working through a pile of sheet music would be pretty dull; you might as well stay at home to do that.

 

The point is not to be depressed by how much there is still to learn. All of us still have plenty to learn, and if you stopped learning it would be a bore. Better by far to be challenged and inspired by the potential of your instrument.

Brian

[gcaplan]

I was at Dave Townsend's workshop on practising. I found it a real eye-opener - I've been mucking around with the instrument for years, but never made any real efforts to develop a decent technique.

 

I've been to a few Whiteneys, and the emphasis is normally on the music rather than the instrument itself. Dave has obviously thought deeply about this whole area of developing technique and communicates it well. You only have to listen to his playing to appreciate his mastery of the instrument. It's inspired me to get down to some real technical work...

 

The only criticism was that there was too much information to remember, and that some kind of cheat-sheet would be useful. I'd taken extensive notes and offered to put something together, and Dave said he'd post it on the website. I sent him a copy for revision some time ago, so if anyone is keen to get their hands on this, perhaps you could give him a gentle prod! I'll stick a post here when he's approved it.

 

Simon's workshop on Scottish music was inspiring as well, though the huge gap between his viruoso playing and musical invention and the efforts of a plodder like my good self does raise some flutters of concertina envy...

[Alan Day]

It is a great pity that at these type of events, my mind is willing but it cannot cope with the influx of so much material so quickly.If only you can do a pause button."Now let me go off and practice this for an hour", then come back and re start the teacher again.I was lucky during my recent workshop as I had a CD of everything I was working on,including the tunes and at the end gave everyone a copy.This would be the ideal situation and although I did not charge I am sure most players would be interested to part with money,just to remember "Now what the hell did he do next" .I personally cannot cope with the pressure of these events,I need time to work it all out and when I have it I do not forget it.

I do take the point however that if someone points you in the right direction then the whole experience is worthwhile.

Al

[Clive Thorne]

It sounds like what we need is a series of evening classes rather than an intense weekend. Two hours of instruction followed by a week of brain recovery and practising that bit, before moving on.

 

Has anyone done this sort of thing, or thought about it? Being a weekly thing, and only two hours, it might limit the distance that people would want to travel to it, including the tutor. I would be interested in this sort of thing, and would probably be prepare to drive about 50 miles. If others would also drive 50 mile thats quite a catchment area, and we might get the number of people required to make it viable (8 - 12 ?).

 

Anyone potential tutors out there who would be interested?

 

Clive

 

PS I'm near Daventry and would be interested in english style (ie tune and chords) of anglo playing

Edited October 11, 2005 by Clive Thorne

[Geraghty]

It sounds like what we need is a series of evening classes rather than an intense weekend. Two hours of instruction followed by a week of brain recovery and practising that bit, before moving on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I've been in London for a year and have tried to find an Anglo instructor or group of players, but no luck so far. I don't have a car so I rely on public transport or the occasional hired car.

[PeterT]

Picking up on the various postings, has there been any progress on the idea of getting a group together?

 

I'm based in Croydon, and am happy to offer what help I can regarding tuition.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[Roger Gawley]

I've been in London for a year and have tried to find an Anglo instructor or group of players, but no luck so far. I don't have a car so I rely on public transport or the occasional hired car.

 

A quick scan down an oldish ICA members list finds two anglo-playing members with London address and half a dozen in "home counties" so it may be a matter of asking in the right place.

 

Are you a member of the International Concertina Association? If not, why not?