Should I Quit

[habo]

I bought a 20 key C/G anglo concertina which I can return for a refund IF I send it in Monday. I must make up my mind quick.

 

Here's the deal. I can play guitar enough to six chord my way through almost any song. The plan was to use the concertina in a somewhat similar way.

 

On a guitar a chord can be played for several bars and by finger picking the chord doesn't lose interest. On the concertina how can you give interest to a chord held out for several bars? How can you keep playing a chord when the bellows are fully in,,,or fully out? And are these instruments poor chording instruments anyway?

 

Being a quiter gets on my nerves, but wasting money gets on my nerves more.

 

Can anyone understand my problem and make suggestions. This would be best coming from a guitar busker.

 

Thanks, I look forward to useful information.

[Jim Besser]

Can anyone understand my problem and make suggestions. This would be best coming from a guitar busker.

 

I have busked with both guitar and concertina.

 

There's no way around it; an Anglo concertina, especially with 30 buttons and fewer, is not nearly as flexible a chording instrument as a guitar. When I busk with a fiddler, I'm often frustrated by the lack of interesting chords that I would play on guitar.

 

The solutions:

 

-- switch to a duet. Players like Big Nick offer up a rich and seemingly endless variety of interesting chords

 

-- With your anglo, focus more on rhythm and interesting runs to accompany the other melody instrument. Listen to any of Jody Kruskal's CDs, but especially Grand Picnic, for a quick education in how an anglo can be used effectively for accompaniment.

 

Busking with fiddle and concertina has been rewarding, but you have to be creative, and understand that you can't approach this like you would playing guitar.

 

Also understand that with 20 buttons, you're REALLY limited. You need 30 at a minimum.

[Greg Jowaisas]

Switching to english concertina is a possiblity. You won't run out of air because a bellows direction change will not effect the chord.

 

Breaking up chords as arpeggios, similar to the way you might on guitar, will add interest. Runs and bass accompaniment as Jim B has suggested will also add contrast and texture.

 

Chords become even more interesting as you add and subtract notes annd change note octaves. The concertina can be a very useful instrument to "color" chords.

 

Perhaps you can trade in your anglo to the seller and count it toward the purchase of an english.

 

I do not know of any inexpensive duet concertinas on the market at present.

 

Greg

Edited September 22, 2007 by Greg Jowaisas

[Mikefule]

I am a newish Anglo player with a moderately musical background. 8 months into my "career" as an Anglo player, I find myself using two buttons from the "accidentals row" for chords all the time. I would feel rather limited by only a 20 key box - but I would try to make it work, just as I enjoy playing my 1 row melodeon within its limitations.

 

Once you have three or more buttons at your disposal for the accompaniment, you have a lot of choices: any 1, any 2, or all 3 gives you theoretically 7 options with three buttons (although not all of equal value). That's before you look at rhythms and arpeggios.

 

But on many chords when I cross the rows, I find I only have two buttons available on the left hand. (This may improve to more complex and chords as I progress). That imposses limitations: either button or both gives only 3 options.

 

But it's not that simple, as the emphasis is often on accentuating the rhythm more than adding harmonies. There is a lot you can do with even two buttons if you swing the rhythm a bit.

 

William Kimber had a "three row" but seldom used the third row.

 

It sounds to me like you're not in love with the instrument. If so, don't buy it. However, you may feel different if you think in terms of what the instrument can do as a concertina, rather than what it can't do because it isn't a guitar.

 

I dislike the two row melodeon, but enjoy playing the 1 row. I enjoy playing the harmonica. I sometimes forget to put my concertina down so I can go and find some food.

 

If it doesn't grab you, it doesn't grab you. I have an expensive guitar I never take out of the case.

[Hooves]

I bought a 20 key C/G anglo concertina which I can return for a refund IF I send it in Monday. I must make up my mind quick.

 

Here's the deal. I can play guitar enough to six chord my way through almost any song. The plan was to use the concertina in a somewhat similar way.

 

On a guitar a chord can be played for several bars and by finger picking the chord doesn't lose interest. On the concertina how can you give interest to a chord held out for several bars? How can you keep playing a chord when the bellows are fully in,,,or fully out? And are these instruments poor chording instruments anyway?

 

Being a quiter gets on my nerves, but wasting money gets on my nerves more.

 

Can anyone understand my problem and make suggestions. This would be best coming from a guitar busker.

 

Thanks, I look forward to useful information.

 

 

Hello,

 

I have played guitar and octave mandolin for many years, I'm a relative new comer to Concertina but I have found that I really like chords on my Duet (I have both a MacCaan and recently a Crane duet).

 

I think Anglo is really great for fast melodies, they say English is suppoed to excel at this as well, but I couldn't get the hang of the left/right scale playing. Although I poke fun at the Anglo players, the anglo really is a great system.

 

On Both my Duets I can make some really neat chords, sometimes if I'm goofing around its like a music soundtrack: you can create a wide pallette of interesting chords, however I have difficulty getting a melody + chords as one end tends to drown out the other (I'm looking into baffles).

 

One really nice thing about the Crane is the way the notes in each colomun rise up in fourths like a guitar in standard tuning (for example, the middle row on the Crane is EADG...). Unfortunately you will likely have to sell some organs to acquire one...

 

I have not had the oppurtunity to "busk" with any celtic players, but my feeling is you can play some rich chords with a duet, but if I wanted to play mostly melody (and I'm gonna put my asbestos suit on for this: the concetina works better for melody than accompiament, which actaully for Celtic/Irish music is not a bad thing).

 

My observation on this board is that many Duet players either play guitar or come from a guitar background. In fact, I did some research on other duet systems and there was a duet which was actaully arranged much like the frets on a guitar, increments in half steps (see it on concertina.com).

 

You have taken the time to start learning the bi-sonoric system, perhaps a button accordion is the real answer. There are some very nice Button accordions which aren't big monsters, like the Lilly from Castagnari. I find most celtic audiences are quite used to seeing accordions and they work so well for "celtic" music. Plus, the button accordion will have a chord end and you can also play chords on the melody side like you do on a an Anglo.

 

I also think the button accordion is somewhat more forgiving, the larger bellows gives you more air, if you get a B/C box or a C#/D you are fully chromatic (though I'm not particuliarly happy with the chord end on the B/C).

[hjcjones]

Don't think you can use your concertina the same way you use a guitar, they are quite different in approach.

 

I can't actually think of any anglo players who play just chords. Most will play a melody supported by chords. The interest comes from adding arpeggios and passing notes, and above all from the rythym (using the bellows).

 

What happens when you run out of air? The trick with playing anglo is to control the bellows so you don't run out of air. You find chords which will work in the other direction. This is more difficult with a 20-key which doesn't offer many alternative ways of playing the same note or chord.

 

Stop trying to imitate guitar on it, and listen to as many different players as you can. They will give you some ideas and help you to develop a style. To do what you want, you probably need an instrument with more keys. On the other hand, its limitations could force you into developing a really interesting and innovative style.

[david_boveri]

return the instrument if you want it to play like a guitar, it wont.

 

on a twenty button, you will not have the full scope of notes to play nothing but chords except in the most limited of keys.

 

dont let the bellows get all the way in or out. find multiple ways to play each chord in different directions, dropping out the third or the fifth if need be. use the air button.

 

concertinas of all types are wonderful chord instruments. that being said, it takes a LOT more work to make an anglo concertina harmonize than a guitar.

 

it probably is a waste of your money, because it sounds like it's holding you back. if you're still interested, get a 30 button concertina.

 

i hope you dont give up on it and stick with it--it's worth all the work it takes!