ocd Posted January 1, 2007 Share Posted January 1, 2007 Happy New Year! I am a new member living in New England. I have been contemplating getting a concertina for a while now. After doing some research (and reading quite a bit of the archives of concertina.net, thank you all) I decided to test the waters by getting a Jackie. My brain seems to be happy with the the EC layout. The Jackie is wonderful but I would like to upgrade. I will be playing mostly for myself, I would probably be risking life and limb if I tried to play with anybody else. I read music and have played the piano accordion with free-bass before (all 37 lbs of it). I am trying to decide whether to go for a baritone or a treble concertina. From the recordings I have heard I like the timbre of the baritone a lot. Also I get the impression the the higher end of the treble is not used that much. When I have heard the top end of an EC, it has made me think of "music for bats", perhaps a sign of the state of my ears. So I am leaning towards a baritone. Are there any gotchas? (I am expecting it to be perhaps a bit larger and heavier than a treble.) Is it going to be much slower to speak? The options for a baritone EC that I have found are the Morse Albion, Harry Geun's baritone and vintage concertinas. Any other options I have not mentioned? Thanks, ocd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Drinkwater Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 (edited) Happy New Year! I am a new member living in New England. I have been contemplating getting a concertina for a while now. After doing some research (and reading quite a bit of the archives of concertina.net, thank you all) I decided to test the waters by getting a Jackie. My brain seems to be happy with the the EC layout. The Jackie is wonderful but I would like to upgrade. I will be playing mostly for myself, I would probably be risking life and limb if I tried to play with anybody else. I read music and have played the piano accordion with free-bass before (all 37 lbs of it). I am trying to decide whether to go for a baritone or a treble concertina. From the recordings I have heard I like the timbre of the baritone a lot. Also I get the impression the the higher end of the treble is not used that much. When I have heard the top end of an EC, it has made me think of "music for bats", perhaps a sign of the state of my ears. So I am leaning towards a baritone. Are there any gotchas? (I am expecting it to be perhaps a bit larger and heavier than a treble.) Is it going to be much slower to speak? The options for a baritone EC that I have found are the Morse Albion, Harry Geun's baritone and vintage concertinas. Any other options I have not mentioned? Thanks, ocd Happy New Year! I play the EC, a standard 48 key treble and use it mostly for playing English country dance and Morris dance music. All these tunes are mostly either in the Keys of D or G major and tend to occupy the mid range notes, so no 'bat' music. I have limited experience of using a baritone EC but in my opinion, it is a much underated instrument. Though it was formerly often used in band accompaniments, it is wonderful on its own as an accompaniment to solo singing or to add variety in a session. Being an octave below the treble, the fingering positions for a piece of music are the same as for the treble, which is useful. They are slightly larger in diameter and a bit heavier but nothing like a Piano Accordion! An inbetween instrument worth considering would be the tenor treble. These are often 56 key instruments, with half an octave below the treble being the tenor part. Regarding makes, I would personally prefer a vintage instrument by either Wheatstone or Lachenal. They do come up for sale from time to time and have either brass reeds (quieter and more mellow sounding), or steel reeds (louder). Ideally, it's a help if you know someone who owns a baritone, so you can perhaps can borrow it to try it out or at least have a listen to them play it and be able to ask their opinion of it as an owner/player. It also depends in the kind of music you have in mind to play on it. Some classical pieces of music sound great being played on one, e.g. as on C.net member Juliette Daum's recent CD. Lastly, if you can afford it, maybe over time, buy both a treble and a baritone and you can have a choice of instruments to play depending on what you are playing. I am sure other members will have their views/experiences to pass on. This is my 2 cents worth. Belatedly edited to correct a couple of glaring errors. Chris PS Bats are a protected species. So are concertina players! Edited January 3, 2007 by Chris Drinkwater Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 My partner Anne uses a Morse baritone for the North West morris band we play in. It shares the lightness of the other Morses, which makes it good for playing standing up. We got it because in a band with two other concertina players it helps her hear herself, but nowadays it has become her concertina of choice for sessions for the same reason. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hit-&-Miss Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 Happy New Year! I am a new member living in New England. I have been contemplating getting a concertina for a while now. After doing some research (and reading quite a bit of the archives of concertina.net, thank you all) I decided to test the waters by getting a Jackie. My brain seems to be happy with the the EC layout. The Jackie is wonderful but I would like to upgrade. I will be playing mostly for myself, I would probably be risking life and limb if I tried to play with anybody else. I read music and have played the piano accordion with free-bass before (all 37 lbs of it). I am trying to decide whether to go for a baritone or a treble concertina. From the recordings I have heard I like the timbre of the baritone a lot. Also I get the impression the the higher end of the treble is not used that much. When I have heard the top end of an EC, it has made me think of "music for bats", perhaps a sign of the state of my ears. So I am leaning towards a baritone. Are there any gotchas? (I am expecting it to be perhaps a bit larger and heavier than a treble.) Is it going to be much slower to speak? The options for a baritone EC that I have found are the Morse Albion, Harry Geun's baritone and vintage concertinas. Any other options I have not mentioned? Thanks, ocd Personally I find the lower tone of the baritone more pleasing to my ear. I got a Morse ec baritone last year and like it a lot. Your not far away from the Button Box, take a ride up there some time and try them both out. There the same size and about the same weight. I play contra dance music with a group of friends. The baritone helps separate the concertina from the violins. If I played treble it would be hard to hear myself play. Aside from that I find the pitch of the baritone more pleasant, the down side is the bottom notes require more air, but you know this already. Good luck. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Nixon Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 Happy New Year! I am a new member living in New England. I have been contemplating getting a concertina for a while now. After doing some research (and reading quite a bit of the archives of concertina.net, thank you all) I decided to test the waters by getting a Jackie. My brain seems to be happy with the the EC layout. The Jackie is wonderful but I would like to upgrade. I will be playing mostly for myself, I would probably be risking life and limb if I tried to play with anybody else. I read music and have played the piano accordion with free-bass before (all 37 lbs of it). I am trying to decide whether to go for a baritone or a treble concertina. From the recordings I have heard I like the timbre of the baritone a lot. Also I get the impression the the higher end of the treble is not used that much. When I have heard the top end of an EC, it has made me think of "music for bats", perhaps a sign of the state of my ears. So I am leaning towards a baritone. Are there any gotchas? (I am expecting it to be perhaps a bit larger and heavier than a treble.) Is it going to be much slower to speak? The options for a baritone EC that I have found are the Morse Albion, Harry Geun's baritone and vintage concertinas. Any other options I have not mentioned? Thanks, ocd I agree with much of your observations regarding the English Baritone and is also my favourite choice as well. I have a 48 key Treble Wheatstone aeola and 48 key Baritone Wheatstone. The Baritone is one octave below the Treble ,and was the favourite instrument of Guilio Regondi , being the same pitch as the Guitar ( he of course was an accomplished Guitarist). I almost always use the Treble for recording sessions with an orchestra as I have recently done in the Abbey Road Studios . The Treble blends perfectly with a large orchestra . I always use the Baritone when playing in jazz groups -ampified of course. You can hear the Baritone on many of the tracks on my C.D. "The Eng lish Connection" (from the Button Box). Happy hunting. JOHN NIXON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted January 2, 2007 Share Posted January 2, 2007 The Baritone ... was the favourite instrument of Guilio Regondi ... John, Well it certainly seems to have been favoured by him at the end of his life, whilst he was dying of cancer. All his final works are for the baritone, and the manuscripts of them (which I possess) are in a shaky hand that seems a reflection of his health. Perhaps the more sombre tone appealed to him at that time, and the pieces he composed then are like a farewell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanette Hooker Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I own a Lachenal Baritone EC and love the tone, but I haven't played it much for a number of reasons. Can anyone recommend any music written for Baritone EC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Nixon Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I own a Lachenal Baritone EC and love the tone, but I haven't played it much for a number of reasons. Can anyone recommend any music written for Baritone EC? Hi "Poaceae, If you are very lucky, you might come across an album/tutor by Geoge Case. His arrangements for the Baritone are very musical , particularly his transcriptions of Italian Operas. Also, there is a great deal of music published for the guitar in solo form. This includes classical and jazz and can be read straight off by the Baritone. The only notes that occasionally are missing are low "E" and "F" but that wont be enough to spoil your enjoyment. Perhaps you can report back to .net if you find some of this music. GOOD LUCK, JOHN NIXON. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3838 Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I own a Lachenal Baritone EC and love the tone, but I haven't played it much for a number of reasons. Can anyone recommend any music written for Baritone EC? I asked the same question to Wim Wakker, and the answer was "not much". However, why do you need music written specifically for baritone, when you can play any music, written for trebble - it will sound an octave lower, so what? The only problem may be the very low harmonies, where you'd have to simplify the chords or just play the melody. Or if the music is written too low, transpose it an octave above. BTW I offered some sheets of music, well arranged for the EC, both trebble and baritone, and you can find it in my thread "Christmas Gift". It's the music from Russian Accordion Tutor, where I omitted the basses. The music is interesting enough and has rich harmonies. Free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RatFace Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 However, why do you need music written specifically for baritone, when you can play any music, written for trebble - it will sound an octave lower, so what? The only problem may be the very low harmonies, where you'd have to simplify the chords or just play the melody. Or if the music is written too low, transpose it an octave above. What may work even better with guitar music is to play it on baritone, but move the finger position "up" one position - so it sounds a 4th lower than if you played it on a treble (alternatively, down an octave, then up a fifth!). This way you won't run out of low notes, and I think it's actually a better pitch anyway - playing guitar music on a treble is too squeaky, but an octave down it's to low! The one "trick" you'll have to learn (apart form the overall hand-position shift) is to adjust for the change in key - you need to add one sharp to whatever key signature you see on the page. However I think you'd get used to doing this automatically pretty quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m3838 Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 (edited) What may work even better with guitar music is to play it on baritone, but move the finger position "up" one position - so it sounds a 4th lower than if you played it on a treble (alternatively, down an octave, then up a fifth!). This way you won't run out of low notes, and I think it's actually a better pitch anyway - playing guitar music on a treble is too squeaky, but an octave down it's to low! The one "trick" you'll have to learn (apart form the overall hand-position shift) is to adjust for the change in key - you need to add one sharp to whatever key signature you see on the page. Thanks, it's a good trick. I'm afraid that sometimes though, when it's written in, say, D, and has F#, sometimes they write F# on the stave, but it means G. Or those a bit too much educated ( ) will use double sharps or flats, so with classical music the tricks may actually not work too well. I think the only reason for music to be still written the same awkward way is the musicians' resistance. They worked so hard to learn to read, they just are scared of having to learn again. (sorry, I'm a bit frustrated with all the transpositions I had to do) Edited January 3, 2007 by m3838 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanette Hooker Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 (edited) Can anyone recommend any music written for Baritone EC? Hi "Poaceae,If you are very lucky, you might come across an album/tutor by Geoge Case. His arrangements for the Baritone are very musical , particularly his transcriptions of Italian Operas. JOHN NIXON. Thanks John, I'lll keep an eye out for this. I offered some sheets of music, well arranged for the EC, both trebble and baritone, and you can find it in my thread "Christmas Gift". Thanks m3838, I'll check this out The one "trick" you'll have to learn (apart form the overall hand-position shift) is to adjust for the change in key - you need to add one sharp to whatever key signature you see on the page. However I think you'd get used to doing this automatically pretty quickly. Thanks Ratface - thats a great idea - the circle of fifths Edited January 4, 2007 by Poaceae Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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