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Hap-py New Year


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Happy New Year all.

 

Nice one Henrik. I wish you had been at the party last night. You would have enjoyed it, tunes from 10 to 2 here in Park Slope Brooklyn. The living room had big bow windows so we could play while appreciating the fireworks display up over the park. I got to lend my concertina to two college age musicians for them to try. Always a treat to watch a new players eyes light up when they get their hands on a decent instrument.

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...

Does the label on the kitchen table concertina really say 'The Slide Engine'?

...

Hello, Pete -

 

Ha! You are one of the few who reflect on the name!

 

I made the label after having played the thingie a few weeks and realizing that

the fact that my buttons go all the way down (I feel the felt and the end plate)

opened a new world of technique, like switching fingers on the same note, which

felt more like sliding the fingers over the button. Hence the name - the technique

also facilitated the playing of certain slides, try e.g., "The Star above the Garter".

Finally, I have written a piece of software with same name, but nothing to do with

concertinas, though.

 

The sliding can be seen in the last part of my (fairly) old YouTube clip.

(Be sure to switch to "Watch in high quality")

 

And here is an extra, short, short demo as well (2 bars of the Doonagore):

 

 

Not surprisingly, I found that I can use the technique on a standard EC, but not

without problems: I hit the neighbours (eh, buttons, that is). The other difference

compared to a standard EC is the horizontal space between buttons: there is more

of it - I have more "air" around the buttons - like an AC.

 

And I may as well jump into the deep end of the pool: the third difference is the big

one: I kicked out the pinkie rest and - in June last year - the thumbstraps (sorry, Sir Charles).

Never looked back.

 

I have always felt that when comparing ECs and ACs something was overlooked,

felt as if apples and bananas were compared, which wasn't really fair.

 

IMHO, I feel that we can't compare two systems when there are more differences than

the systems per se: The dynamic control that the AC has can not be achieved with an

instrument you carry on the tip of your thumbs and your pinkies. 10 seconds besides

Edel Fox is proof enough - the volume is astonishing. So a more fair comparison should

be with an EC that has the same features - systems apart - as the AC. But again - that

is my opinion ;)

 

 

/Henrik

Edited by Henrik Müller
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Happy New Year all.

 

Nice one Henrik. I wish you had been at the party last night. You would have enjoyed it, tunes from 10 to 2 here in Park Slope Brooklyn. The living room had big bow windows so we could play while appreciating the fireworks display up over the park. I got to lend my concertina to two college age musicians for them to try. Always a treat to watch a new players eyes light up when they get their hands on a decent instrument.

Thanks, Jody - New Year's fireworks in Brooklyn is something I probably can't imagine!

 

Quote: "Always a treat to watch a new players eyes light up..." Unquote.

Yes, it is indeed a rare treat to experience that!

 

/Henrik

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