The Bisonoric Anglo Duet Concertina

[ragtimer]

This is to announce a new design -- the Bisonoric Anglo Duet (B.A.D.) Concertina.

Picture an Anglo with a floating frame in the middle of the bellows -- you've seen those. Now imagine that the frame is solid inside and airtight, so it divides the bellows into two chambers. Finally, this frame has a wooden extension paddle out the bottom, which is to be clamped firmly between the player's knees.

 

This anchor point allows the bass (LH) and treble (RH) sides to be squeezed independently of each other.

 

You can push on one side while drawing on the other, thus allowing complete Duet style playing.

Sustain a chord on the LH while pumping an Irish jig on the RH. Or hold a melody note on the RH while going thru chord changes on the LH. Or play indpendent countermelodies, just like Duet players try to do in private.

 

You can squeeze the Bass side gently while playing hard on the Treble side, thus overcoming the common complaint that too many Duet players drown out the melody with oom-pah accompiment. Who, me?

 

Anglo players whose lives have been limited to learning yet more ornaments and alternate fingerings for the same 100 Irish tunes, can retrofit the center board to their Anglos and have something new and fresh to work on.

 

Leading neurosurgeons have warned that the human brain cannot possibly learn to squeeze one side while pulling the other. However, these same doctors consider the EC a neurological impossiblity, and refuse to even acknowledge thte existence of the Anglo, no matter how many harmonicas their kids bring home.

 

So ignore the doctors, the same as when you enter a pub, and start learning the B.A.D. today!

A famous player who's spent his life learning to play chord-style Anglo says he "plans to lose no time learning this new system!" (Hmmm, what did he mean by that ...?)

 

Get in line to have your Anglo retrofitted.

And unload those Cranes, Maccanns, and Haydens on the 'Bay while there's still time!

 

NOTE: Before replying to this post, please note its date, allowing for the GMT delay from the Colonies.

Happy April

[JimLucas]

Get in line to have your Anglo retrofitted.

And unload those Cranes, Maccanns, and Haydens on the 'Bay while there's still time!

Ah, yes, "The 'Bay".

That's what I call that corner of my room where I keep my concertinas. (No bay window, though, so the harsh sunlight won't harm the instruments.)

 

So please do as old ragtimer ("old timer", for short) says.

(Send me a PM or email for my shipping address.)

[ragtimer]

This is to announce a new design -- the Bisonoric Anglo Duet (B.A.D.) Concertina.

Picture an Anglo with a floating frame in the middle of the bellows -- you've seen those. Now imagine that the frame is solid inside and airtight, so it divides the bellows into two chambers. Finally, this frame has a wooden extension paddle out the bottom, which is to be clamped firmly between the player's knees.

 

This anchor point allows the bass (LH) and treble (RH) sides to be squeezed independently of each other.

 

You can push on one side while drawing on the other, thus allowing complete Duet style playing.

Sustain a chord on the LH while pumping an Irish jig on the RH. Or hold a melody note on the RH while going thru chord changes on the LH. Or play indpendent countermelodies, just like Duet players try to do in private.

 

You can squeeze the Bass side gently while playing hard on the Treble side, thus overcoming the common complaint that too many Duet players drown out the melody with oom-pah accompiment. Who, me?

While I intended this as a joke, I'm a litle suspicious that, if someone were to actually build one of these (and it wouldn't be hard, nor expensive, to convert a Rochelle or D-40), that SOMEONE would take it upon their-self to learn to play it!

 

Human beings are amazingly hard to pin down as to what they can't learn to do -- so pressing one side while drawing the other may not be impossible, if someone puts their mind to it.

Of course, in that amount of time and work, they could have learned another 50 tunes on conventional Anglo, and drunk several pubs dry, done their income taxes, raised three kids, helped Jim Lucas to clean out redundant instruments from his "Bay", etc.

 

But as a challenge, someone "ought to" take it up.

Maybe extend that center paddle to go down to the ankles, for better support -- you don't have to stand up to play this beast

--Mike K.

Edited April 4, 2007 by ragtimer

[m3838]

I forgot what it's called, but there is some sort of bandonion/free bass chromatic, split into two halves. It is played on the table. like a piano, hands strapped for pumping the bellows. So the two parts are independent.

[Richard Morse]

I forgot what it's called

I know it as a "symphonetta". One very playable such made its appearance at the Northeast Squeeze-In a few years ago (though I can't seem to locate the photos I took of it right now). You can Google them up info on them pretty easily. Here's the Google image search link which cuts to the chase even more easily.]

 

-- Rich --

[Jody Kruskal]

One very playable such made its appearance at the Northeast Squeeze-In a few years ago (though I can't seem to locate the photos I took of it right now). You can Google them up info on them pretty easily. Here's the Google image search link which cuts to the chase even more easily.]

 

-- Rich --

 

I confess. It was me that brought my symphonetta to the Squeeze-In a decade ago. Good memory Rich!

 

This exotic beast is not really a candidate for bisonoric playing as the two bellows are connected by a pressurized reservoir so that both bellows drive any button’s reeds. There was some discussion of this here last year.

[JimLucas]

Picture an Anglo with a floating frame in the middle of the bellows -- you've seen those. Now imagine that the frame is solid inside and airtight, so it divides the bellows into two chambers. Finally, this frame has a wooden extension paddle out the bottom, which is to be clamped firmly between the player's knees.

 

This anchor point allows the bass (LH) and treble (RH) sides to be squeezed independently of each other.

I forgot what it's called, but there is some sort of bandonion/free bass chromatic, split into two halves. It is played on the table. like a piano, hands strapped for pumping the bellows. So the two parts are independent.

I know it as a "symphonetta". One very playable such made its appearance at the Northeast Squeeze-In a few years ago (though I can't seem to locate the photos I took of it right now). You can Google them up info on them pretty easily. Here's the Google image search link which cuts to the chase even more easily.

Didn't some examples of Wheatstone's ill-fated "double" design have a partitioned bellows with the partition fixed to a small table? That would be more like ragtimer's suggestion, with the ends in the usual concertina position rather than the separately-mounted halves and different orientation of the symphonetta.

 

For what it's worth, it didn't catch on.

[ragtimer]

I confess. It was me that brought my symphonetta to the Squeeze-In a decade ago. Good memory Rich!

I was amazed at some of the "artifacts" that showed up at NESI 2004 -- but nothing this exotic.

This exotic beast is not really a candidate for bisonoric playing as the two bellows are connected by a pressurized reservoir so that both bellows drive any button’s reeds. There was some discussion of this here last year.

So the Symphonetta is more like a reed organ, with buttons in the "pedals", and a reservoir to even out the wind supply. Does this prevent percussive accents? European harmoniums have a stop that cuts out the reservoir, allowing for bellows-like expressive effects.

 

Jody, can you imagine ever learning to play an instrument like I suggested, with separate push and pull on two bisonoric halves? If you could be 15 years old again, maybe? That might be easier for an Anglo player than the reversed-CBA unisonoric keys of the Symphonetta.

--Mike K.

[Jody Kruskal]

Jody, can you imagine ever learning to play an instrument like I suggested, with separate push and pull on two bisonoric halves? If you could be 15 years old again, maybe? That might be easier for an Anglo player than the reversed-CBA unisonoric keys of the Symphonetta.

--Mike K.

 

Well, I guess I could imagine anything, but would I? No, probably not. The reality is that one free reed instrument is enough for me, thanks. If I was to learn yet another instrument I would want something that sounded quite different, like... theremine perhaps.

 

Still, your idea has some merit. I guess you could play it just like a regular Anglo except for when you wanted to take advantage of it's unique abilities.

[ragtimer]

 

Jody, can you imagine ever learning to play an instrument like I suggested, with separate push and pull on two bisonoric halves? If you could be 15 years old again, maybe? That might be easier for an Anglo player than the reversed-CBA unisonoric keys of the Symphonetta.

--Mike K.

 

Well, I guess I could imagine anything, but would I? No, probably not. The reality is that one free reed instrument is enough for me, thanks. If I was to learn yet another instrument I would want something that sounded quite different, like... theremine perhaps.

Thanks for the reply, Jody. Yes, it makes sense that you'd want a totally different instrument. My other axes are trombone, piano, and voice, quite a variety. My hands are too shaky for a theremin

Besides, you do pretty darn well on the Anglo already!

Still, your idea has some merit. I guess you could play it just like a regular Anglo except for when you wanted to take advantage of it's unique abilities.

Right, you could easily just squeeze or pull both sides like an Anglo, and maybe without even trying you'd find yourself working harder on the melody side to accent it over the chords, or vice-versa.

 

If I were going to build such an isntrument from scratch, I'd probably redesign the LH button layout to emphasize chords -- but then, this is a Duet player talking

 

Have a great time at NECW this weekend! Wish I could be there again. --Mike K.

[JimLucas]

If I were going to build such an isntrument from scratch, I'd probably redesign the LH button layout to emphasize chords....

But the original (1- or 2-row) button layout does emphasize chords... just a limited number of them.

[Jody Kruskal]

If I were going to build such an isntrument from scratch, I'd probably redesign the LH button layout to emphasize chords....

But the original (1- or 2-row) button layout does emphasize chords... just a limited number of them.

 

Well... you are right Jim, but isn't it remarkable that the Irish figured out a great way to play that did not emphasize that chordal/harmonic capability? Quite a nifty little instrument we Anglo players play.

 

So Mike, when are you going to build one of your bisonoric concertinas? Until you make it, you will only be guessing at how it might change your playing.

[JimLucas]

Quite a nifty little instrument we Anglo players play.

We English and duet players, as well.

 

So Mike, when are you going to build one of your bisonoric concertinas? Until you make it, you will only be guessing at how it might change your playing.

Ah, Jody knows whereof he speaks.

He has constructed and played many an interesting instrument, though no concertinas, as far as I know.

[ragtimer]

So Mike, when are you going to build one of your bisonoric concertinas? Until you make it, you will only be guessing at how it might change your playing.

Gosh Jody, I can barely figure out how to play a one-sided bisonoric squeezebox (an old Hohner Club melodeon I found in the local antique shop). Don't know that I could ever learn to squeeze one side and pull on the other.

 

I'd rather see an accomplished Anglo player try it. Or maybe best would be a beginning Anglo player, who wouldn't have to unlearn as much.

 

But ask yourself: haven't you ever wished you could play a draw chord along with a push note?

 

Anyway, I figure the way to make a prototype would be to take two Rochelles, build the center paddle board to connect the two bellows together, and try to play it. You'd have both ends of a Rochelle left over but no bellows. I'd leave building the new center piece to a real concertina maker -- not that I want to distract any of them from coming out with what the planet really needs -- a new Hayden

--Mike K.

[ragtimer]

Ah, Jody knows whereof he speaks.

He has constructed and played many an interesting instrument, though no concertinas, as far as I know.

Well, I'd be fascinated to hear more aobut Jody's concoctions, given some of the oddities in hsi collection so far.

 

I've entertained notiions of building a kit hurdy-gurdy. As a former radio man, I know in principle how to build a theremin. What I really like is organs and autoharps.

[Boney]

Don't know that I could ever learn to squeeze one side and pull on the other.

It seems wild if you think of learning independence all at once, but that's not the way we learn anyway. Imagine playing a tune as a normal anglo player would, but ver occasionally changing direction with just the right hand for a single note, while holding a chord on the left side. Easy as pie. Once that starts feeling comfortable, changing direction for an "oom-pah" bass, while the right hand plays in a continuous direction, would probably also feel simple. A bit of that, and you'd mix the two without hardly a thought. And so on. Before long, it seems as if you're playing the sides fairly independently, but you're really just stringing together simple patterns. Kind of like how you learn any instrument.

[Jody Kruskal]

How about if the paddle thing that separated the two bellows were an upside down T with the vertical part sticking up between your legs and your thighs holding down the horizontal part against the chair. The upside down T shape would make the paddle very stable. There could be considerable stress if both hands wanted to move left or right together.

 

The whole thing sounds kind of clumsy and not a very elegant solution but I think it would work and could be very cool to play. I think that you would have to take it apart to put it in a case for transport. Airport security would certainly look at you funny.

[ragtimer]

Don't know that I could ever learn to squeeze one side and pull on the other.

It seems wild if you think of learning independence all at once, but that's not the way we learn anyway. Imagine playing a tune as a normal anglo player would, but very occasionally changing direction with just the right hand for a single note, while holding a chord on the left side. Easy as pie. Once that starts feeling comfortable, changing direction for an "oom-pah" bass, while the right hand plays in a continuous direction, would probably also feel simple. A bit of that, and you'd mix the two without hardly a thought. And so on. Before long, it seems as if you're playing the sides fairly independently, but you're really just stringing together simple patterns. Kind of like how you learn any instrument.

Thanks for the positive statements. It does seem natural to elarn it as you suggest -- start with straight Anglo technique, then gradually addd little "exceptions" that grow larger as you get more independence of the hands.

 

If someone were to build this contraption, would you volunteer to try to play it?

--Mike K.