Hill Concertina School Good For English

[morganj]

The Noel Hill concertina schools are obviously great for the anglo player. Would an English system player get anything from them? Has anyone tried it?

[Ken_Coles]

There have been English system players, though not the years I attended, so I can't name them. Also, if you look at the pix of the early years, David Cornell (Maccann duet) is present!

 

Ken

[Bruce McCaskey]

I don't play English at all, so my comments come from the perspective of an Anglo player that has only observed English players attending Noel's classes.

 

To be quite clear on the topic, Noel doesn't teach the English system. That said, I know of at least two English players that have attended his classes and returned for one or more rounds in subsequent years so they obviously thought they were getting something from the experience.

 

It appears to me that if one is looking for instruction in the basics of English playing, Noel's classes are not the place to go. However, if one is already able to pick up the essence of a tune and play it by ear on an English, then Noel's contribution is that he offers several tunes and coaches English players in achieving an Anglo-like sound.

 

Most people in his advanced classes are primarily focused on learning tunes by ear and getting the "proper" sound to tunes rather than receiving instruction on the basics of "how to play." From this perspective, a reasonably capable English player is on somewhat the same footing as the Anglo players.

 

Should an English player want to try to sound like an Anglo player? I pose this question primarily because I think some might question the value of such an endeavor. I'm not going to attempt to justify a position for or against the notion, rather I'm only going to say that if one wants to be able to emulate the sound of Noel playing Irish tunes, his classes are a good place to get instruction in ways to achieve that.

 

Here's a link to photos from Noel's 2005 Oregon class; note that an English player was present.

[Greg Jowaisas]

I think it also depends on what an ec player or any musician wants to learn.

 

If you are looking for an intense experience with one of the world's leading proponants of Irish traditional music then Noel fits the bill whether you play anglo or not.

 

Aside from his mastery of the Irish anglo Noel is a consumate musician. His timing is impeccable, fast or slow. He brings 40 years of nuance from playing with several generations of Irish traditional musicians, many of whom were the leading proponants of their instruments. His knowledge of Irish traditional music and its context in history is encyclopedic. He has been a teacher for decades and knows how to dissect and slow things down to bring ornamentation and technique to within a student's grasp. His dedication and commitment are inspirational.

 

Attendees become immersed in tunes and technique but there is a lot of other learning going on at a Noel Hill Camp.

 

I was a member of one of Noel's classes that included an ec player. He was attentive to the differences in concertinas and flexible in suggesting ornaments that best fit the instrument. In the final analysis I think good music is simply good playing and understanding of a genre. I think Noel's goal is to make us all better player's of good music.

 

Greg

 

PS. I play english concertina too and learning anglo and attending Noel's classes has helped tightened up my ec technique in general and given me a much better feel for expressing Irish music on the instrument.

Edited June 17, 2007 by Greg Jowaisas

[Bill Crossland]

There has been one English system player in the couple of Irish Schools I have attended, and Noel is quite keen to get more to attend. I reckon players of any system would benefit from the best part of a week with him!