newbie wrist pain on anglo

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

Sounds promising; you have the bellows and notes to make at same time often. With anglo concertina..( A sort of dual task to play them). Eventually you will coordinate both with little effort.

Some tunes need a lot of outward pulling..whilst others inward movement. Look ahead of the music and see what notes there are and try consider whether you will need more or less air to make notes. ( Not always easy task even after years of experience). A bit like woodwind player thinking where to take breath.

More air pressure on bellows also makes louder sound..and less pressure makes quieter sound..this will come with practice. Take it all at a pace that suits you best.

 

[Jody Kruskal]

I teach Anglo in the harmonic style and have found that Zoom or FaceTime work quite well. I can even demonstrate a tune for my students and have them play along with what they hear. I can't hear them (I turn my speaker volume down) but they can hear me just fine.

[usurpator]

13 minutes ago, Jody Kruskal said:

I teach Anglo in the harmonic style and have found that Zoom or FaceTime work quite well. I can even demonstrate a tune for my students and have them play along with what they hear. I can't hear them (I turn my speaker volume down) but they can hear me just fine.

ooooh you interest me a lot!!! you’ll hear from me! (this is not a threat lol)😝 

[usurpator]

2 hours ago, SIMON GABRIELOW said:

Sounds promising; you have the bellows and notes to make at same time often. With anglo concertina..( A sort of dual task to play them). Eventually you will coordinate both with little effort.

Some tunes need a lot of outward pulling..whilst others inward movement. Look ahead of the music and see what notes there are and try consider whether you will need more or less air to make notes. ( Not always easy task even after years of experience). A bit like woodwind player thinking where to take breath.

More air pressure on bellows also makes louder sound..and less pressure makes quieter sound..this will come with practice. Take it all at a pace that suits you best.

 

many thanks - just to be sure i understand what you mean: i need to sync the bellow work and the note change? both when changing direction and also while going in one direction - that would lead to legato, but first is articulation, right? i often find when i have say 5 notes in a pull direction (i’m following jack talty course so he might be giving us stuff with 5 notes in pull just to tray us) i dont quite know how to articulate the bellows work: should i stop pulling at the end of the first note and start pulling again at the begining of the next note? should I press the key of a note before I pull again on the bellows? i have no idea how to sync notes (musically) keys (pressing them to make the note) and bellows (pulling them or pushing or changing direction).

any pointers welcome so many thanks

[Jody Kruskal]

Slow it way down until you can play it perfectly without hesitations or mistakes. Then, put the instrument down, have a cup of tea and try again, slow enough to play correctly the way you want to. Keep practicing at a slow tempo, taking frequent breaks and then coming back to task, multiple times a day.

 

That's how I do it.

[usurpator]

I do that (i work with a metronome - i was a pro classical musician so i feel the metronome is my best friend) but i also try to play a tiny little faster every now and then, and i loop on the measures that had mistakes.

but yeah thanks: i will then play slowly more, the gain of speed can wait many many thanks

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

It's a process of technique which is not easy to explain in words alone; if for example you play a button ( note) a long as you  press or  hold the button down and bellows are pushed or pulled the note sounds, however  many buttons or notes you need. Of course the more notes or buttons pressed at same time. The more air you will use up n the  bellows. Articulation of sound is a subtle combination of both bellows and the way the fingers move or press those buttons down. If you want a legato or smoothness you can move gently fingers over the buttons, without jerking the mechanism, and by carefully applied pressure on bellows ( not hard)..I often think it's like when a piano player smoothly movers fingers from one key to another, with barely a break of movement to get a smoother transition to the sound ( my own viewpoint).

[usurpator]

and i imagine that after learning the basics a lot of that also depends on what instrument you play (a good or bad one) but only after learning for a while

my wren 2 deluxe feels slow, demands effort…. or is it me who is the problem? I bet on me as the problem- if i had a professional level anglo in my hands i would still sound awful and clumsy only faster ‘or should i say in a more rushed manner) just because the instrument would react faster to my mistakes (instead of reacting faster to the faster and more subtle demands of a good player)

patience is the key i guess - many thanks! 🤩

[SIMON GABRIELOW]

There's a huge choice in concertinas which surprises people just how many there are to choose from. I only have my one at present ( I used to have a simple 20 key anglo which I started on ) then my current one 30 keys. ( Since 1999)

Also there brass reeded traditional made ones, and those with steel reeds ( like my own).

Some cost thousands and others less expensive, but whichever you get it's also up to the person playing it to get the most you can musically, regardless.