Whay To Do?

[chainyanker]

i have a 22 button c/g Lachenal, i really like. been learning hynms. all going ok. my problem is most hynms are in other keys, not much of a problem, ive learned to put them in the keys i can play on my concertina, but by the time i get them in the keys i can play, me are not many other can sing. now my questin is this, im lokking at get me another. what would you guys and girls suggest? next ive have went to {H. Herrington} a real nice guy i might add. emailed him a bunch and played on one of his insturments. would yall get a new one are get another rebuilt concertina. i noticed while playing harolds that it was heavier the my Lachenal. are all newer built ones heavier? this would be problem for me because i have one arm fused, the other has screws and pins in my elbow and wrist. thanks in advance.

[chainyanker]

sorry for miss spelling, i should of stay in school longer. lol

Edited March 1, 2006 by chainyanker

[Chris Timson]

If weight is an issue check out Morse concertinas. They are about as light as they get.

 

Chris

[Richard Morse]

Most of the hybrid types of concertinas I've tried seem to be a tad to considerably heavier than vintage concertinas though the Morse is substantially lighter.

 

If you're looking for another concertina mainly so that you can play easily in another couple of keys... where will it end? 4 or 5 boxes? I suggest you consider a duet which will let you play in all keys, will be fully chromatic ("all" the notes), and plays the same note on the push/pull. That allows you to do those dissonant/resolving chords and low bass notes common to hymns that are just not possible on anglos. And when it comes to bass notes, the anglos really don't have a lot beyond the diatonic - and not even the 2nd note! (if a C/G, it's missing the low D).

[chainyanker]

that may not be as big a problem as it came across. was wandering if a newer concertina would weigh as much as a older 30 button, and what key would do best for hynms? and what would others do if in the same shoes as myself, being a remodled concertina sells about the same a new begginers from most builders?

[chainyanker]

thanks richard.

[Jim Besser]

heavier? this would be problem for me because i have one arm fused, the other has screws and pins in my elbow and wrist. thanks in advance.

 

Chain, I have a early square Herrington and a Morse. The Herrington is HEAVY, but its advantage is incredible durability; in 6 or 7 years, it hasn't required a single repair or adjustment. The weight is a big problem when playing standing up, a minor irritation when sitting.

 

The Morse is incredibly light and easy to play, a factor for us Morris players. Can't comment yet on durability, as I have only had it 6 months, but it's been great during that time.

 

I have a vintage box that sounds much better than either, but is fairly heavy and failry finicky.

[JimLucas]

i have a 22 button c/g Lachenal, i really like. been learning hynms. all going ok. my problem is most hynms are in other keys, not much of a problem, ive learned to put them in the keys i can play on my concertina, but by the time i get them in the keys i can play, me are not many other can sing. now my questin is this, im lokking at get me another. what would you guys and girls suggest?

I would suggest that the first thing you need to do is figure out which keys are comfortable for you to sing in.

 

I suspect that many hymns are pitched where they are (as written in hymnals) because that's a key that's comfortable for the majority. Up or down a half step from there shouldn't be a problem for most people. E.g., if the hymnal has it in Ab, then either A or G should work. But is yours an average voice? You need to find out.

 

Rich Morse' suggestion of a duet is reasonable, except that you'd have to relearn a great deal.

 

OR get yourself a MIDI anglo, where you can change to any key you want by just pushing a couple of buttons.

[Chris Allert]

playing the anglo in other keys is very difficult, and the farther away from c and g you get, the wierder it gets. i play irish music on the anglo, where most tunes are in g or d, and the instrument is well suited to this music. there's also a long tradition of playing this kind of music on a c/g anglo, and even a long tradition of making it work on 20 button instruments. but i don't think it's really the best instrument for playing hymns.

 

recently i spoke with wim wakker on the phone about ordering a midi anglo and also had a chance to talk to him about the "jackie" model english concertina. he said that that they sell these to people all over the world and a lot of them use them to play hymns, basically in the place of a piano. i decided to order one of these as well since it's not much of a risk for me if i don't like it (less than $300) ( http://www.concertinaconnection.com/ ).

 

so i would say that for playing an accompanying church hymns, you're probably better off switching to the english system than upgrading to a better anglo. the english system was designed from the beginning to play classical music in any key, and you can find very good english system instruments for a lot less than money than good anglos. the concertina connection jackie is a well built and playable instrument, unlike anything else in its price range. for a playable 30 button anglo, you have to spend at least $600 for an instrument that's not that great (this will change around april when the concertina connection starts selling the "rochelle" cheap anglo)

 

switching to a duet system is another option, but you're not going to be able to find a playable instrument for $300 if you go this route. you'll also have a harder time finding instruction and books on playing whichever duet system to choose.

 

i'm sure that i'll continue to play irish music on the anglo, but i'm looking forward to learning the english.

[Animaterra]

I suspect that many hymns are pitched where they are (as written in hymnals) because that's a key that's comfortable for the majority.

 

In my years as a church musician for several denominations, I would suggest that it ain't necessarily so! The keys of many hymns seems sometimes to rest with the whim of the arrangers and editors! (the current hymnal I'm working with seems to delight in making the entire congregation shriek uncomfortably in the upper register! )

 

Transposing to one or another key that's more or less singable shouldn't be too bad. Many songs can either be managed in C or G (but not both!!). And I've found it also depends on who's singing the melody, men or women. Trial and error are your friends.

 

I also have a c/g, and can manage the keys of D and F and their relative minors as well, when the need strikes.

 

But when those blasted arrangers insist on E flat or A major, for no reason than to confound the instrumentalists....

[Mark Evans]

But when those blasted arrangers insist on E flat or A major, for no reason than to confound the instrumentalists....

 

Yeah! There are no capos for a reeded concertina! B natural, that's my bugaboo. I'm just not into spendin' all me time on the outside rows. At the same time I understand and subscribe to the notion that a song should be pitched in a key that suits the singers voice (I know Allison does too). Just makes it very hard when I have on my instrumentalists cap and am tryin' to make sense of E flat with a smile on me face .

Edited March 2, 2006 by Mark Evans

[Robin Madge]

When singing with our West Gallery choir we quite often have to drop them by a semi-tone or a tone. Since the hymns were written the population has become better nourished and tend to have deeper voices!

 

Robin Madge

[JimLucas]

When singing with our West Gallery choir we quite often have to drop them by a semi-tone or a tone. Since the hymns were written the population has become better nourished and tend to have deeper voices!

Y'mean that if I want to sing bass, all I have to do is eat more?

[Mark Evans]

Y'mean that if I want to sing bass, all I have to do is eat more?

 

I dunno Jim, that ain't worked fer me. I'm still a tenor, just a fat tenor .

 

Keep yer waist line where tis' and yer voice up high!

[Rhomylly]

Chain, you might also want to consider a 24-button Edgley (No, I don't work for Frank, I swear). I don't think mine is very heavy at all, and the layout has all the sharps and flats very conveniently placed. You can check it out for yourself when I see you in a few weeks!

[chainyanker]

thanks for all yalls help. my heart is set on the anglo. i reckon ill keep working at it. Rhomylly, look foward in meeting all yall in a few weeks. want be able to make all the days, but will make a couple. thanks again.