Helen Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Alan, If you mean me, I am still in Ohio. If you mean the Scot, I guess Scotland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdormire Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I was asking kfk'51, who said he was in the midwest, which could be anywhere from here to the great plains, depending on the definition. I figured you were still up on the lake. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dieppe Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I had a friend who played (among many instruments) accordian--he took an autoharp and rearranged the keys and their felts so that they were arranged the same as the bass side buttons of an accordian and became an instant expert. Oh heck! That's a great idea! I've an autoharp lying around... I could do the same! Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfk'51 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I was asking kfk'51, who said he was in the midwest, which could be anywhere from here to the great plains, depending on the definition. I figured you were still up on the lake. Alan Hi--Yeah it does cover a lot of ground doesn't it--under all that snow lie a bunch of "fly-over states". I'm in the tracted wildness between Chicago and Milwaukee, Illinois side, and if it gets any colder I'm going to have to start burning books and instruments for heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McIsog Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Helen, Where did you get that surname? Dan (Cusick) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polkabeast Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 70 degree F here in North Texas right now. I am about to leave my office, get some beer, and play my autoharp on the front porch, prepare for tomorrow night, when I debut my new instrument (Maybelle) at J&J's, a pizza place on Denton's historical courthouse square. Squeezes and blows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samantha Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 70 degree F here in North Texas right now. I am about to leave my office, get some beer, and play my autoharp on the front porch, prepare for tomorrow night, when I debut my new instrument (Maybelle) at J&J's, a pizza place on Denton's historical courthouse square. Squeezes and blows. Let us know how it goes, polkabeast! Samantha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Booth Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 And don't forget to keep on the sunny side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polkabeast Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 70 degree F here in North Texas right now. I am about to leave my office, get some beer, and play my autoharp on the front porch, prepare for tomorrow night, when I debut my new instrument (Maybelle) at J&J's, a pizza place on Denton's historical courthouse square. Squeezes and blows. Let us know how it goes, polkabeast! Samantha Thanks, Samantha. So good to read your letters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polkabeast Posted February 20, 2008 Author Share Posted February 20, 2008 My set list for tomorrow: On AutoHarp Carter Family Thinking Tonight of my Blue Eyes Hello Central, Give Me Heaven East Virginia Blues The Lads (link in signature below) [originals from my Irish Band] Kelly Mother's Weave Guns and Roses Patience Dylan Knockin' on Heaven's Door 20-button Anglo TOOL Jerk off Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here REM Losing My Religion The place I'm playing is a dive. One of my favorite gigs. I'll try to record something and post. I'm so excited. I've never played so many obscure and ecclectic covers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Snap all of the bass strings apart from about 6, and you have a melodeon. :ph34r: Careful; melodeon players live here too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Viehoff Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Helen, Where did you get that surname? Dan (Cusick) You both shared it with this guy http://www.inthered.org/edmundcusickpoetry.htm who I bumped into occasionally when I was at University over 20 years ago, and never forgot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McIsog Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 That is some hot poetry. What did he die of? You both shared it with this guyhttp://www.inthered.org/edmundcusickpoetry.htm who I bumped into occasionally when I was at University over 20 years ago, and never forgot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Irishman Posted February 23, 2008 Share Posted February 23, 2008 I have a new love. I can't get enough of her. I hope this doesn't cause problems. No, you shouldn't have any problems. Speaking as a multi-instrumentalist - which I suppose is analogous to a polygamist - I find intimate knowledge of several instruments quite stimulating. Musically speaking, of course. When I was small, playing with my mother's old autoharp, I was already entranced by the Triumph duet concertina that I caught glimpses of at the Salvation Army Citadel on Sundays. Over the years, a mandolin and a 5-string banjo became my frequent associates, and I acquired an Anglo concertina and a couple of autoharps of my own. (The Prophet, in his inspired wisdom, limited polygamy to four wives. I find four main instruments ideal.) Apart from the link via C. Zimmermann, who devised a system of numeric notation for the button accordion and used it on his autoharp, concertina and 'harp are similar in that they both have buttons, and one likes to be squeezed, the other hugged. This is me with my 1958-vintage Oscar Schmidt A-Model, converted from 12 to 21 chords, my favourite for unplugged solo gigs: By the way, the most recent research shows that the autoharp as we know it was not invented by Charles Zimmermann, but by a fellow-German called Carl Guetter. Zimmermann did, however, coin the name "Autoharp". Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polkabeast Posted February 23, 2008 Author Share Posted February 23, 2008 (edited) I have a new love. I can't get enough of her. I hope this doesn't cause problems. concertina and 'harp are similar in that they both have buttons, and one likes to be squeezed, the other hugged. I prefer to lay my autoharp across my lap and spank her like a naughty lover. Edited February 23, 2008 by polkabeast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Tut! How can you hope to get decently competent on the 'box if you persistently dally with a bit on the side? Consider yourself told off for displaying lightweight tendencies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anglo-Irishman Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Tut! How can you hope to get decently competent on the 'box if you persistently dally with a bit on the side? Consider yourself told off for displaying lightweight tendencies. Hi, Dirge, at least it keeps you from over-practising! ;-) Seriously though: each of my instruments helps teach me the others. I take phases at working intensively with one at a time, and I discover things that make me wonder if I could do something similar on the others. Not so much by way of technique - more matters of music theory and expression. And coming back to an instrument is always refreshing and motivating. I get the feeling they're glad to see me back ;-) Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirge Posted February 25, 2008 Share Posted February 25, 2008 Well maybe John. I wouldn't deny that my previous musical experience has been a great help but if you are trying to master an instrument there's no substitute for practice. Our Polkabeast is clearly at that dangerous stage where the next thing that happens is he leaves the 'box in it's box permanently, and another potential concertina player is lost to us. Not only that but he'll have to go and join a melodion chatroom or something. The consequences are appalling, in short. Someone had to warn him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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