A Few Tunes For The Ec...

[njurkowski]

Hello all,

After a little over a month of playing my Jackie, I feel like my skills are developing pretty well. One of the bigger frustrations I've found myself facing so far is lack of music; most of the classical-type music that is available for the EC is, at this point, probably too difficult for me and definitely out of the range of the 30 button Jackie. Playing music intended for other instruments is an okay solution, but as it wasn't originally meant for the concertina, this body of work doesn't challenge the concertina in quite the way I want to be challenged (Piano music is usually too rangey or difficult, and Violin music that isn't too rangy often lacks the double stops that I would want for concertina music).

 

Since I don't really have the money to upgrade my concertina right now, I decided I'd try my had at arranging/writing a few tunes for a beginning intermediate concertinist with the range of the Jackie. Here are my first two - a transcription of the first part of a Chopin Waltz (I love Chopin) and a little arrangement of the Sailor's Hornpipe (because I'm a sucker for stereotypical, if technically incorrect, concertina music). I'm also writing a three part fugue for EC that I hope ends up sounding passable. The Chopin uses a "boom-chick" rythmic accompaniment, based on the idea that if I find something difficult to do on an instrument, I should probably be practicing it...

 

Please try them out!

 

Nick

Valse.pdf

hornpipe.pdf

[JimLucas]

After a little over a month of playing my Jackie, I feel like my skills are developing pretty well.

 

Since I don't really have the money to upgrade my concertina right now, I decided I'd try my had at arranging/writing a few tunes for a beginning intermediate concertinist with the range of the Jackie.

Wonderful! I am impressed! But if you consider these arrangements to be "beginning intermediate", then I really look forward to yout "advanced" arrangements! These are masterful!

 

Please try them out!

I did. Great!

 

Nick, if you can play these arrangements -- on a Jackie... or any English concertina, -- then I'm also extremelæy impressed by your playing ability, and astounded that you can do it after "a little over a month".

 

One question... and it doesn't detract at all from my praise: There are a few places in the hornpipe where you've written a middle C with a G and E below it. Neither the Jackie nor a 48-button treble goes down as far as that low E, but it works fine if the lower two notes are moved up one space (to a G and Bb, rather than E and G). Is that maybe what you intended?

 

Please keep up the good work.

[njurkowski]

Ha! Way to catch those rogue E' s, Jim....I didn't even notice them until I read your post. As per your observation, I did actually intend the chords to be C, Bb, G (and that's the way I've been playing them....curse those ledger lines...)

 

I agree, the Chopin is more of an "intermediate" type piece - I like to have a piece to work on over the course of a few weeks or months - it might be a while until I can play the Chopin up to speed...

 

Thanks!

 

Nick

[nils]

Hi Nick,

 

the vals is a real finger twister! I find the mesures where melody and chords are stretched over 2 oktaves and have to be played on the same side quite challenging.

 

If you are looking for more music like that try to get hold of a copy of "Dancing with my Baby" .

 

Nils

[RatFace]

The waltz is good Actually I noticed yesterday you posted these notes, but just glanced then and noticed the walkz was in 4 flats - not one I knew. So, today (being a holiday in Germany) I staggered out of bed, just in time for a late lunch, turned the computer on, read a few emails, and then played the piano for 30 minutes or so - mainly the Chopin waltz in Bm, which is my big favourite (i.e. only one I can remotely play!). So then I remembered your post and was pretty surprised to find it's the same waltz - you just transcribed it to Fm!

 

I do think it misses the low notes, though - partly through forming the root of the chord (for example, in the first bar the chord in Fm, yet as written you don't hear the F until the very last quaver) but also because one of the characteristics of the tune is that it doesn't emphasise the first beat. It probably also needs to be played in a cathedral to get the "sustain" needed Anyway, I may adapt your arrangement for my tenor-treble (hope you don't mind) - also I look forward to seeing you update it with the nice major section in the middle!

 

Incidently, the output of Finale is really (in my opinion) not nice - especially the clashing between the two voices. I experimented with Lilypond recently to write out some guitar music, and think it would probably do a very good job on the kind of concertina music you're writing out.

 

As well as the music on my web page I have some other things which are along the lines of what you've written - including a book of "English Concertina Music" arranged by Faulkner Brandon (book 1). About 20 pretty simple pieces (like your hornpipe). I can't find any trace of it on the web, so, given it's pretty old (e.g. the price is "one shilling and sixpence net cash" on the cover I'll scan them in and make them available. Perhaps someone can confirm this is legal?!

 

Other music worth looking at is some (simpler) guitar music - especially baroque, and also the Bach violin suites/sonatas (and the cello suites transcribed for violin).

 

Thanks for the music

 

- Danny

[njurkowski]

Danny-

Thanks for your notes on the waltz. It's one fo my favorites for the piano (also, the only one that I can play), and I was looking for something romantic to trascribe for concertina that wasn't too complicated. Transposing it to the new key was the only way I could get it to fit into the two and a half octave of the Jackie, and I would have much rather left it in the original key (you have to work with what you have). I completely agree it would be better with the bass notes- again, I experimented with this on the Jackie, but it didn't have enough range to make sense. All in all, I'm not totally satisfied with the arrangement as is, which is why I held off on the second part (also, the first part is enough to keep me busy learning for a few weeks, at least). I'd definitely look forward to seeing your tenor-treble arrangement - I'd like to upgrade to a tenor treble model when I find one and have the money.

 

I haven't tried Lilypond - I'll look into it. Finale is all I've ever known, and I keep meaning to read through the manual to see if there is a way to omit rests in the different layers that end up on top of other notes. I've also heard good things about Sibelius, but again, I have no experience.

 

I'd be quite interested in seeing the Brandon book...Maybe by now it's in the public domain? Maybe your posting it here would fall under fair use for "educational purposes?"

 

 

Nick

[njurkowski]

(duplicated post)

Edited May 25, 2006 by njurkowski

[JimLucas]

I haven't tried Lilypond - I'll look into it. Finale is all I've ever known, and I keep meaning to read through the manual to see if there is a way to omit rests in the different layers that end up on top of other notes.

As I recall, any individual note or rest can be either hidden or individually shifted in position, and I'm working with quite an old copy of Finale. I don't do that often enough to remember how without looking in the documentation, but I know I've done it.

I'd be quite interested in seeing the Brandon book...Maybe by now it's in the public domain?

I'm quite certain it's in the public domain. And here is a previous C.net Topic which talks about it.

[RatFace]

I added the complete Brandon book, Bells across the meadows, Daquin's Cuckoo and a Fernando Sor piece here. Have fun!

 

Edit: Also arrangements of La Golondrina and a tune called One Too Many for tenor-treble.

Edited May 27, 2006 by RatFace

[njurkowski]

Fantastic! Thanks for this.