I've Been Cheating On My Concertina.

[Helen]

Alan, If you mean me, I am still in Ohio. If you mean the Scot, I guess Scotland.

[asdormire]

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

[Dieppe]

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

[kfk'51]

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.

[McIsog]

Helen,

 

Where did you get that surname?

 

Dan (Cusick)

[polkabeast]

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.

[Samantha]

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

[Robert Booth]

And don't forget to keep on the sunny side.

[polkabeast]

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!

[polkabeast]

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!

[PeterT]

Snap all of the bass strings apart from about 6, and you have a melodeon. :ph34r:

Careful; melodeon players live here too!

[Ivan Viehoff]

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.

[McIsog]

That is some hot poetry. What did he die of?

 

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.

[Anglo-Irishman]

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

[polkabeast]

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

[Dirge]

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.

[Anglo-Irishman]

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

[Dirge]

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.