Keys to play on a C/G Anglo

[Kelteglow]

Hi All I have a 36 key Wheatstone Anglo and my aim is to play in the keys of C,G,D,F,&A with melody & cords.

C & G is Ok because I am in the " Home Rows "but when I play in either F or D this often puts the melody high up on the R/H side of my concertina.

My Question is should I persevere with the C/G or look for say a Bb/F and a G/D concertina as well as the C/G .

All the Best Bob

[PeterT]

Hi All I have a 36 key Wheatstone Anglo and my aim is to play in the keys of C,G,D,F,&A with melody & cords.

C & G is Ok because I am in the " Home Rows "but when I play in either F or D this often puts the melody high up on the R/H side of my concertina.

My Question is should I persevere with the C/G or look for say a Bb/F and a G/D concertina as well as the C/G .

Hi Bob,

 

If, from what you have descibed, you are playing in an "English" style, then it sounds fine to me. It will also stretch your ability, which will not happen if you buy Anglos in multiple keys, and then only play in the "home keys". Full chords could be viewed as a challenge, but I'm sure that's part of the "fun"".

 

Regards,

Peter.

[David Levine]

I play ITM on a C/G Anglo - across the rows - and play in those keys with varying degrees of success. I don't play a chordal accompaniment, though I do occasionally hit a low note that is part of a fuller chord.

If I am to be playing in a C session I play my Bb/F concertina. I can't play all the tunes for which I use D fingering and transpose into C fingering on the fly. I do play tunes written in D minor and A on the C/G concertina but there aren't very many of them.

[Kelteglow]

I play ITM on a C/G Anglo - across the rows - and play in those keys with varying degrees of success. I don't play a chordal accompaniment, though I do occasionally hit a low note that is part of a fuller chord.

If I am to be playing in a C session I play my Bb/F concertina. I can't play all the tunes for which I use D fingering and transpose into C fingering on the fly. I do play tunes written in D minor and A on the C/G concertina but there aren't very many of them.

 

When I play in sessions (Irish style) I am ok playing in most keys .My concern is when playing in D&F (English Style)

the melody is high up on the R/H giving the little finger and the ring finger most of the work and because the scale of notes especialy in D&F do not flow like the home keys of C&G ,.I hope that makes sense.ATB Bob

[frogspawn]

I play ITM on a C/G Anglo - across the rows - and play in those keys with varying degrees of success. I don't play a chordal accompaniment, though I do occasionally hit a low note that is part of a fuller chord.

If I am to be playing in a C session I play my Bb/F concertina. I can't play all the tunes for which I use D fingering and transpose into C fingering on the fly. I do play tunes written in D minor and A on the C/G concertina but there aren't very many of them.

 

When I play in sessions (Irish style) I am ok playing in most keys .My concern is when playing in D&F (English Style)

the melody is high up on the R/H giving the little finger and the ring finger most of the work and because the scale of notes especialy in D&F do not flow like the home keys of C&G ,.I hope that makes sense.ATB Bob

 

As I noted recently in another thread, the melody on a standard C/G Anglo played English-style will be an octave above the way it is written, i.e. high, but this could be an advantage in being heard. However, I've also read that English-style Anglo players in sessions tend to just play melody...do they just use the right hand or do they shift the melody down an octave and essentially play Irish style?

 

Richard

[PeterT]

My concern is when playing in D&F (English Style) the melody is high up on the R/H giving the little finger and the ring finger most of the work and because the scale of notes especialy in D&F do not flow like the home keys of C&G ,.I hope that makes sense.

Hi Bob,

 

Interesting comment. Maybe we finger differently. Certainly, the patterns for D and F are different from other keys, but I only get as far as the ring finger. The only time that I use the right little finger is when I play in G in the higher octave.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[PeterT]

As I noted recently in another thread, the melody on a standard C/G Anglo played English-style will be an octave above the way it is written, i.e. high, but this could be an advantage in being heard. However, I've also read that English-style Anglo players in sessions tend to just play melody...do they just use the right hand or do they shift the melody down an octave and essentially play Irish style?

Hi Richard,

 

Thinking back, I guess that I've not heard too many other C/G players in English G/D sessions. What I've found is that sometimes sections of the music need to be raised, or dropped, an octave in order to maintain most of the melody on the right hand, with chords etc. on the left.

 

Regards,

Peter.

[geoffwright]

It is a handy skill to be able to play melody line across the rows in F or D with some octaves added where possible. That will give a full enough sound and scope to put a note or two of harmony in as well.

[Kelteglow]

It is a handy skill to be able to play melody line across the rows in F or D with some octaves added where possible. That will give a full enough sound and scope to put a note or two of harmony in as well.

At the moment I am trying to split the melody and cords for F & D for eg Fidlers Green in F and Lizzy Lindsay in D these are the keys my session play them in. The melody is high on the right hand and I am using my most inefficient fingers ring and little finger. I guess its just a case of more practise ATB Bob

[PeterT]

It is a handy skill to be able to play melody line across the rows in F or D with some octaves added where possible. That will give a full enough sound and scope to put a note or two of harmony in as well.

At the moment I am trying to split the melody and cords for F & D for eg Fidlers Green in F and Lizzy Lindsay in D these are the keys my session play them in. The melody is high on the right hand and I am using my most inefficient fingers ring and little finger. I guess its just a case of more practise ATB Bob

Hi Bob,

 

Unless you are trying to achieve "full" chords (unlikely, since you refer to a session), I've come up with the following:

 

[Accidental row X, C row and G row numbered 1 to 5, left to right, for a 30 key instrument]

 

Fiddler's Green in F

Starting C1 on the draw, the whole melody can be played using buttons X2, X3, C1, C2, C3, G2, G3.

 

Index finger for C1, X2.

Middle finger for X2, C2, G2.

Ring finger for X3, C3, G3.

 

 

Lizzy Lindsay in D (I assume the lovely Scottish song)

 

Starting G1 on the draw, everything on the index and first fingers except for the high C# (X4) and D (G3) which I would finger with my ring finger.

 

Hope this is of some help!

 

Regards,

Peter.

 

 

PS - I play a 36 key, Wheatstone too!

[hjcjones]

I've also read that English-style Anglo players in sessions tend to just play melody...do they just use the right hand or do they shift the melody down an octave and essentially play Irish style?

 

I can't say I've ever come across that in English sessions I've played in. Most of the players I know certainly play full chords, as do I - in fact I find it hard to play melody without the chords as well. Some tunes in G can get a bit high, but that can be resolved by playing in the lower octave for all or part of the tune (but not "Irish style" - I'll still play chords while doing this).

 

I find F is a good key on C/G anglo, but less so for tunes than for song accompaniment - some of the fingering sequences can be a bit fiddly when playing a tune at speed, whereas for song accompaniment I'm playing more chords and arpeggios rather than the entire melody. I'm not keen on D, because I find the chords to be rather weak, which is why I prefer a G/D for English sessions. Some tunes just sound better on the C/G, though.

 

I use my little finger a lot and find it opens up a lot of alternative fingering possibilities, in C and G as well as other keys. Just practice.

[Robin Madge]

I usually play my G/D Anglo in english music sessions, but I'm finding that with the usual mix of whistes, flute, fiddles and guitars that my C/G Baritone fills in a part of the audio spectrum that is missing. Once you get some melodions in though, you find that the chord structure goes to the dogs:)

 

Robin Madge

[michael sam wild]

I played mainly a D/G melodeon for ages and it as served me well. Up and down the rows at first, like the mouth organ I grew up with, then cross row playing for smoothness and to save money on bellows!

 

When I could afford an Anglo after bringing up the kids, I got a C/G on good advice from my old mate Barry Callaghan (RIP) and the guys at the concertina club at the Royal Hotel , in Dungworth, near Sheffield.

 

When I first took it along I found myself playing on the RHS and an octave up in G and grateful for a tune in C. I avoided D etc

 

 

Then I got Mick Bramich's tutor book and realized I could play in G and an octave down and in D, C, Am, Em, Bm and Dm.

 

This sees me through most sessions and by hard work I feel comfortable.

 

 

I did buy a G/D Lachenal and I like the octave down G for singing. As a lifelong mouth organ player I can intuitively play along on the G/D in sessions even though it's low ( it allows some nice countermelodies)

 

But I have learned to be split brained on the C/G and that's now the box for me. (Thanks to Mick Bramich and John Williams' tutors)

 

I reckon the Anglo German boxes were originally produced to play in C and G along the rows in the way that mouth organ is played and served well for many great musicians ( Wm Mullally, Mrs Crotty, Kitty Hayes, Chris Droney, Frank Edgely, Wm Kimber, Scan Tester. That's the way I would 'automatically' play and it's my default position.

 

As the only box available it was adapted by trad. musicians, much in the way that C mouth organs were used to pay in G for Blues and Cajun players adapted easily availbale C boxes for G tunes to play with fiddlers and adopted a Cajun scale with the F natural.

 

It was Paddy Murphy , maybe Mullally, Packy Russell Noel Hill etc etc who led us into the cross row style, and on into the modern players.. I note that Frank Edgely goes into cross row playing for his embellishments so there is a hybrid style available.

 

 

Mike