Beginnings...

[LDT]

I'm being nosey again ;P

 

SO what made you want to learn the concertina? Who inspired you? Did you have any goals when you started?

[meltzer]

I had a little play on one years & years ago, when I first started playing the melodeon. It was always something I fancied playing. I got back into English traditional song a few years ago (after a long gap), and started listening to Peter Bellamy again. Even though he wasn't the most, er, conventional concertina player in the world, I love what he does with the instrument -- he was my main inspiration, although I try (and fail) not to be a Bellamy clone. I wanted something other than a guitar to accompany my singing with, when necessary, and opted for the concertina. I also found myself with sufficient readies for the first time in my life to be able to afford one!

[Lakeland Fiddler]

It's small enough to carry around, It doesn't need retuning everytime I get it out of the case, I don't have to keep changing strings and it doesn't need rosin

 

Some of my favourite cds are fiddlers who are accompanied by concertinas; Pete Cooper and Emma Reid spring to mind. I saw Robin Madge (member of this forum) play for the morris, I was blown away by the instrument. Since then I've met several players whose playing I greatly admire. I thought to myself, I wanna play one of those. However, I did overlook the fact that I can't play fiddle and conc at the same time so I can't accompany myself

[PeterT]

.. what made you want to learn the concertina? Who inspired you? Did you have any goals when you started?

Looks like an Anglo thread at the moment, but I'm sure the "shy and retiring English and Duet types" will join in before too long!

 

I'd heard concertinas on records and the radio; Albion Band, Steeleye Span etc., and liked the sound. I first encountered one (well; two, actually) when Mick Tems was booked at the Croydon Folksong Club in late summer 1979, and he turned up with Pat Smith. Wow; capable of subtle, or loud and dynamic playing.

 

I sang with the "Shanty crew" from 1980/2 and suffered vocal problems in early 1981. This was the spur to actually buy a "proper" concertina and see whether I could learn how to play it. Obviously no C.net (or indeed home computers in those days!) to give advice or help. I wanted to play dance music, but had no "goals". Never being one for doing what "normal" people do, I found that doing something as bizarre as learning the concertina (when I could not read music, or play any instrument) suited me.

 

The final spur which got me doing it in public, was the fact that my local Morris team were badly in need of a musician ..... any musician, however new or bad. Turns out that I was a very quick learner, and some of the new dancers thought that I had re-joined the team! Bluffed well, then.

 

In terms of influences; well, I've listened to many hundreds of concertina players (and other musicians), but never consciously based my style on anyone else.

 

So; there we go. 25+ years later, I'm still wondering what to do with the concertina. However, it's been a (generally) fun journey so far.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[LDT]

However, I did overlook the fact that I can't play fiddle and conc at the same time so I can't accompany myself

you could always record yourself playing one thing and then play it back and accompany yourself.

or is that cheating?

 

Never being one for doing what "normal" people do, I found that doing something as bizarre as learning the concertina (when I could not read music, or play any instrument) suited me.

I could have learnt the piano...but I thought it was too...normal. lol!

Edited September 3, 2008 by LDT

[Rhomylly]

Morris dancing was pretty big where I grew up (Berea, KY), so there were always concertinas and concertina players around. I was a morris dancer for a while, then got to an age where I started thinking, "you know, maybe it's time to be a morris musician instead." And I've never played for morris!

 

I have always been fascinated with free reeds, and figured a concertina was easier to tote around by myself than an accordion.

 

John Roberts was and continues to be a huge inspiration.

 

I also cannot get the hang of playing guitar. I thought concertina would be a good song accompaniment instrument -- something I have yet to figure out how to do.

[hjcjones]

Heard the much-missed Tony Rose on an album using a concertina to accompany his singing. Loved the sound. My local music shop had a concertina, which I bought. Turned out Tony played English, and I'd bought a very rubbish Chinese anglo. Messed with it for a while, didn't really figure it out, and put it aside.

 

My interest was re-awakened a few years later by albums such as "Morris On" and seeing John Kirkpatrick at my university folk club. Also while at university, I met singer-songwriter Richard Plant, who plays anglo. On my return home I got to know Colin Cater at my local folk club, who gave me a few tips. Started to get the hang of it, and started listening to other players - John Watcham, William Kimber (on record, of course), Peter Bellamy, Father Ken, among others. In those days concertina players were still a rarity, so I was pretty much on my own when it came to working it out.

 

My goal when I started? "I want to make a sound like that!" 35 years on, it still is.

[wntrmute]

Every funny story starts with the phrase: So then we went and bought a couple bottles of tequila....

 

However; on the advice of counsel, I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of tequila at my initiation to the concertina.

[hjcjones]

Morris dancing was pretty big where I grew up (Berea, KY), ...

I find it fascinating that so many Americans, often with no English background themselves, have adopted morris so enthusiastically (although enthusiasm is of course a very American trait). The average English person finds the morris very odd, and is deeply ashamed to be associated with it in any way.

 

Many years ago as a young man Greyhounding around North America I fell in with some morris dancers in New England. To cut a long story short, I found myself, in borrowed kit, going out on tour with the Black Jokers from Boston. Somewhere in my archives is a photo of me playing for them, on a borrowed concertina, in Salem. One of the audience asked me what was going on, and I explained that it was traditional folk dancing from England. He looked at me doubtfully, despite my being evidently English, and said, "Nah, the English don't dress up like that!"

[John Wild]

Glad Thorp!

 

I was in a crowded room in her tiny flat in Rochester, and the only one not playing anything or singing.

After a period presumably to give me a false sense of security, Glad just said:- what would you like to play? - here try this!

 

I was trapped with no exit, but it completely transformed my social life.

 

- John Wild

[Anglo-Irishman]

SO what made you want to learn the concertina? Who inspired you? Did you have any goals when you started?

 

Hi, LDT!

 

The concertina is different from all my other instruments.

 

My voice was given to me at birth, and most of the others were in the family before I was: fiddle, mandolin, autoharp, mouth organ, piano. When I was ten, my father took in a stray 5-string banjo. At school, I had to "play" the recorder. As a student in Germany, I even bought a guitar-lute. I still mess around with them all, except the piano and the recorder (probably because they tried to teach me those!)

 

But the concertina was an exotic stranger in my childhood days. I heard it at the age of six or so at the Salvation Army of a Sunday morning, and fell in love with the sound. Later, I developed a love for things nautical, and listened to shanty programmes on the BBC. And there she was again, my beloved 'Tina!

 

At 18, I asked for a concertina for my birthday, and got one - a 20-button East German anglo. After my early contact with the mouth organ, I quickly learned to play it. Shanties, of course, but also the Irish songs that I knew so well. No jigs or reels - I had the fiddle for those, and anyway, songs are far more interesting

 

I had no teacher and no role models. I just used the concertina to realise the music in my head - chiefly Irish ballads, shanties and hymns, often as accompaniment for singing. So it has remained to this day, though I now have a 30-k anglo. My "style", if you can call it that, is English - harmonised melodies. Seemed the natural thing to do with an anglo

 

Cheers,

John

[Rhomylly]

Morris dancing was pretty big where I grew up (Berea, KY), ...

I find it fascinating that so many Americans, often with no English background themselves, have adopted morris so enthusiastically (although enthusiasm is of course a very American trait). The average English person finds the morris very odd, and is deeply ashamed to be associated with it in any way.

 

... "Nah, the English don't dress up like that!"

 

LOL! Love the story!

 

If it helps, morris came to Berea via an Englishman: Frank Smith, a student of Cecil Sharp.

[Larry Stout]

I took up concertina (EC) to rewire my brain when I turned 55. I suppose that worked. My inspiration came from recordings by Alistair Anderson and from the playing of Mike Voss (for ECD and contra) at a dance camp on Lake Cumberland, KY. My goal was to be able to play hornpipes for my own pleasure and to play for ECD. Now that I can do that I'd like to be able to do multipart harmony.

[MUTT]

I'm being nosey again ;P

 

SO what made you want to learn the concertina? Who inspired you? Did you have any goals when you started?

 

 

Giapetto.

 

Some things just stick with you.

[squeezbxhvn]

Took a chance on a sea chanty cassette by Louis Killen....got hooked!!

Took another chance at trying something novel & rare around here..."learning the concertina"

Took another chance by just jumping in...not knowing anything or anyone associated.

Its paid off and Im luvin it!!

My inspiration comes from you people!!

Let me fatten some heads....

Boney,ratface,Day,Miles,3838,PeterT,Leo,Worral,Kruskal,Evans...

of course there are many others..but you`re all great, keep up the good work.

Thanks for sharing the info and talent!!

[Rob Harper]

I'm still very much a newbie, having been playing an Anglo for just a few months now. I couldn't tell you exactly why I decided to learn Anglo, but it was probably because I have been going to pub sessions for a couple of years now and heard various forms of concertina and box on a regular basis, and just liked the sound of the 'tinas, plus the fact that I already played harmonica made the Anglo somehow make sense to me more than an English or duet. So when a little money became available I just went out and bought myself a Rochelle. I've been loving it ever since.

[michael sam wild]

Played mouth organ from age about 6 ( 1945) We had two concertinas under the bed which I messed about with but they vanished I think my dad gave them away or sold them for beer money! He was from an Irish family in Manchester and had been in the Navy and liked the concertina , the same happened to my fiddle!

next heard Lou Killen and Alf Edwards in the late 50s and tried to find out about them but got confused when people talked of Anglos and English.

Asked my Dad to bring one back when he went on a Union visit to East Germany but he brought back a red perloid melodeon so that led me into Morris etc.

In the 90s we had a live music pub in Sheffield and I got a chance to try a few tunes on Barry Callaghan's Anglo and a few English boxes.

No contest, the Anglo felt like a mouthorgan split in two so that's what I went for, bought Mick Bramich's book and got a Norman off eBay and got stuck in in 2004, still squeezing most days but it's been the most challenging instrument along with the fiddle to get proficient at so that I feel OK in sessions but I'm getting there and it's rewired my head and fingers. the fact that i have loads of tunes from over the yeras and I play by ear has helped as well as using a diagram it's helped to learn ABc and dots which always put me off.

I've traded up a few times and attend our local Concertina session at The Royal in Dungworth where I've been lucky to play with and learn from Mark Davies, Geoff Wright, Neil Wayne, Keith Kendrick and other luminaries from the region, festival workshops and weekends are great too.

 

I listen to all sorts of instruments and styles not just concertina records and am very interested in piping styles and fiddle tunes for drone and chord effects.

[Constant Screamer]

I blame one person.....John Kirkpatrick! I had to love Steeleye Span and then Brass Monkey. I made the mistake of seeing them, AND John in concert several times over the years...and then suddenly in 1982 I found myself spending all my free time at home and at work holding this alien instrument (and annoying my wife & co-workers).

 

THANK YOU JOHN....THANK YOU!!!!