Alan Day Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) I was reading another thread where it was stated that scales on the anglo were never practised.To make progress it is necessary to be able to play a complete scale on the push and on the pull.With a reasonable instrument all the notes are there it is just a matter of practice.Not all tunes played on the Anglo need to be bouncy by playing the concertina with in and out style,some require to be smoothed out.The only way to do this is to use the accidentals and cross row playing to achieve this style.Once you get used to using these alternative notes ,some tunes that were difficult to play,for either speed or chord requirements become easy.If you wish to rise to a new level at some time you will need to just get out of your old style and move on. These additional notes are there to make things easy for you it is a shame not to use them. Al Edited February 15, 2009 by Alan Day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Levine Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 (edited) I was reading another thread where it was stated that scales on the anglo were never practised.To make progress it is necessary to be able to play a complete scale on the push and on the pull.With a reasonable instrument all the notes are there it is just a matter of practice.Not all tunes played on the Anglo need to be bouncy by playing the concertina with in and out style,some require to be smoothed out.The only way to do this is to use the accidentals and cross row playing to achieve this style.Once you get used to using these alternative notes ,some tunes that were difficult to play,for either speed or chord requirements become easy.If you wish to rise to a new level at some time you will need to just get out of your old style and move on. These additional notes are there to make things easy for you it is a shame not to use them.Al I totally agree. While the question of which buttons to use in Playing Across the Rows is pretty well set, Noel Hill does make use of all the buttons at one point or other. The problem is remembering when to use the "second choices" and when to stick to the system. Edited to change the title of the article to Playing Across the Rows. Edited March 18, 2009 by David Levine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 I was reading another thread where it was stated that scales on the anglo were never practised.To make progress it is necessary to be able to play a complete scale on the push and on the pull.With a reasonable instrument all the notes are there it is just a matter of practice.Not all tunes played on the Anglo need to be bouncy by playing the concertina with in and out style,some require to be smoothed out.The only way to do this is to use the accidentals and cross row playing to achieve this style.Once you get used to using these alternative notes ,some tunes that were difficult to play,for either speed or chord requirements become easy.If you wish to rise to a new level at some time you will need to just get out of your old style and move on. These additional notes are there to make things easy for you it is a shame not to use them.Al I totally agree. While the question of which buttons to use in Noel Hill's "method" are pretty well set, he does use all the buttons at one point or other. The problem is remembering when to use the "second choices" and when to stick to the system. David I work on the principle of which is the easiest. It is strange that the use of one button you never use suddenly opens doors.A lot of the really complicated playing you hear can just be put down to technique rather than the skill of the player,but if the basics aren't learnt then it is possible,or likely that you will struggle. Put me down for a few lessons at Bradfield David. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Levine Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Re: Put me down for a few lessons at Bradfield David. Sure, Al... you can teach me how to chord! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted February 15, 2009 Author Share Posted February 15, 2009 Re: Put me down for a few lessons at Bradfield David. Sure, Al... you can teach me how to chord! Your on!! Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I don't know Al about 'never practicing' scales. I find it quite tediois but do it to find out what's available on my 26 button Jeffries Anglo I work out what is possible in various combinations to get the Doh Re Mi but take an approach that gets the best flow and chord potential so that the notes in that key are part of the 'arsenal' but tunes are the best test I reckon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 I don't know Al about 'never practicing' scales. I find it quite tediois but do it to find out what's available on my 26 button Jeffries Anglo I work out what is possible in various combinations to get the Doh Re Mi but take an approach that gets the best flow and chord potential so that the notes in that key are part of the 'arsenal' but tunes are the best test I reckon Mike it is tunes whether I am composing or learning someone else's keeps my interest .If I have nothing I wish to learn I very rarely sit and play.With a new tune or if I am composing one, it normally requires as you suggest the best possible approach.This can mean experimentation as to the best way to play it or experimenting to play a group of notes rarely used.Suddenly you play a little phrase and think "That was really nice" and with a bit work you have the first part ,or a part of a new tune. If it requires a run up or down the scale as Moonlight Schottische" recently posted then it comes in handy if you already know how to do it. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Worrall Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 (edited) I was reading another thread where it was stated that scales on the anglo were never practised.To make progress it is necessary to be able to play a complete scale on the push and on the pull.With a reasonable instrument all the notes are there it is just a matter of practice.Not all tunes played on the Anglo need to be bouncy by playing the concertina with in and out style,some require to be smoothed out.The only way to do this is to use the accidentals and cross row playing to achieve this style.Once you get used to using these alternative notes ,some tunes that were difficult to play,for either speed or chord requirements become easy.If you wish to rise to a new level at some time you will need to just get out of your old style and move on. These additional notes are there to make things easy for you it is a shame not to use them.Al Alan, Well put. It is amazing the variety of scales you can put together on this little instrument in the main keys (eg, C G D F on a CG)....and how differently various players do it. There are the standard along-the- row scales; the all on the draw G scale; all on the push G; then there are noel hill-type scales (emphasizing using the strong fingers); there is a neat little G scale using only your index fingers and 4 buttons; William Kimber's right hand scales (C scale starts in the C row, first 4 notes, moves to G row, last 4 notes); there are the various octave scales (one can do G as an octave scale through two complete octaves). I thought I had seen and learned most of them in the main keys, and then Bertram Levy sent me his scales for playing in G D and A...this we sent out to registrants for our Palestine workshop next month. His were different from any of the above ones, and constitute the bare bones of his melody-with-chords style on the CG, which he'll be teaching (seems kind of like how Fred Kilgore played...less in and out, accomplished by grouping phrases together, each of which are in one bellows direction). It all goes to show how deep this little instrument is. On the surface, you can learn the basic first scale in seconds....and then spend the rest of your life learning new and completely different ways to play it. I'm not sure whether one should go out and memorize scales as a learning tool, or just play tunes. I will say that the playing style of various very different players can be partly summarized by how each is approaching the basic scales. Cheers, Dan Edited February 16, 2009 by Dan Worrall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 ... there is a neat little G scale using only your index fingers and 4 buttons .... Yes - that's very neat - thanks! I'm only just starting with the concertina really and this sort of thing is great as it sets me puzzling to find out how to do it. Now to hunt for the all push and all pull scales.... Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 ... there is a neat little G scale using only your index fingers and 4 buttons .... Yes - that's very neat - thanks! I'm only just starting with the concertina really and this sort of thing is great as it sets me puzzling to find out how to do it. Now to hunt for the all push and all pull scales.... Pete Hallo Pete,it has been suggested a number of times on this site but as a beginner sit down for an hour or so and write down on four sheets of paper your button layout and the notes that correspond to it. You will finish up with Right Hand Push, Right hand Pull.Left hand Push and Left hand Pull.Unless you have a superb memory these sheets of paper are a constant reference.If you are interested in chord playing,go out and purchase a simple chord book which gives you the notes that make up a chord.These are normally laid out as A,B C etc with all the different notes that make the chord. A lot of wonderful members of this site have provided the music with the chords that go with the tune. You now have a lifetime project. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 ... there is a neat little G scale using only your index fingers and 4 buttons .... Yes - that's very neat - thanks! I'm only just starting with the concertina really and this sort of thing is great as it sets me puzzling to find out how to do it. Now to hunt for the all push and all pull scales.... Pete Hallo Pete,it has been suggested a number of times on this site but as a beginner sit down for an hour or so and write down on four sheets of paper your button layout and the notes that correspond to it. You will finish up with Right Hand Push, Right hand Pull.Left hand Push and Left hand Pull.Unless you have a superb memory these sheets of paper are a constant reference.If you are interested in chord playing,go out and purchase a simple chord book which gives you the notes that make up a chord.These are normally laid out as A,B C etc with all the different notes that make the chord. A lot of wonderful members of this site have provided the music with the chords that go with the tune. You now have a lifetime project. Al Hello Al, I've started a bit late for it to be a lifetime project but I can see that it's going to be an 'as long as I've got left and can manage' project! Thanks for the suggestion of having separate button reference sheets for push and pull. I already have a button reference sheet ever present, but separate push and pull ones would certainly help with hunting down chords. I use Nut Chords, which is freely available online, for finding what notes are in a chord. It's quite good as it will also work the other way as well - select the notes you are playing and it has a stab at telling you which chord it is. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Levine Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Dan Worrel said "...the playing style of various very different players can be partly summarized by how each is approaching the basic scales." Very well said. There are many rooms in my father's Concertina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Dan Worrel said "...the playing style of various very different players can be partly summarized by how each is approaching the basic scales." Very well said. There are many rooms in my father's Concertina. It starts like a little stream trickling down the mountain gradually increasing in speed until it reaches a river which gradually widens, slowing down in pace until it reaches the sea. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 what about scales in different keys? am i the only one who wants to be able to play the anglo well in all twelve keys? right now i am working on my chromatic scale, but i think all this talk of scales makes me want to add my twelve scales to my weekly practice, as well as doing multiple variations on my D and G scales. so, if anyone would like to commit with me to a scale practice regimen, we could have a little online support group. anyone in? i'm going to add regular practice of either D, G, and A scales, and their inversions. i'm going to focus on my chromatic scale, and a different major scale every day. so in total, i will be working on three scales a practice day. i think i'm going to start off with doing varitions of the G scale only, and set patterns for the other ones. eventually, i will hope to get all patterns possible in all keys. *nudge nudge* anyone want to join in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Levine Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I don't know of a single accomplished anglo player who would do anything like this. What's the point? To play all those tunes in C# minor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Brook Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Bizarrely I have been thinking about this quite deeply over the last few days, I even looked on the website at the front of this forum to see if a scale tablature was there. I and I believe that many others would find it useful if there were available a list of scales say C, G, D, A, E majors (sharps) F, B, Eb, Ab majors (flats) showing which buttons can be played on the pull and/or on the push. I think four sharps or flats should be plenty enough range to allow accompaniment with anyone! I am going to have a go at this but it would be useful if others could chip in with suggestions. If there is a book already out there that has done all this then I would also be grateful if someone could point me that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Wahl Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 *nudge nudge* anyone want to join in? What I have done was create a page full of "blank" keyboards in my word processor, such as (for my 34-key Anglo): 00000 00000 000000 000000 000000 000000 I then cut and paste one keyboard on each side of a blank business card. Each note gets one card, one side for the push and the other side for the pull. I fill in the correct dots for each note and label it as the push or pull side. (I even notate at the bottom which octave each particular note is in). I then laminate each card as they receive a lot of use/abuse, but for some that may be over the top. When it comes time to practice ANY scale (or song), you just lay out the cards in the correct order - choosing either a push or pull for each note. You can then change or rearrange as needed. I've also created several reference cards that describe the various scales and chords, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Day Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share Posted February 18, 2009 Bizarrely I have been thinking about this quite deeply over the last few days, I even looked on the website at the front of this forum to see if a scale tablature was there. I and I believe that many others would find it useful if there were available a list of scales say C, G, D, A, E majors (sharps) F, B, Eb, Ab majors (flats) showing which buttons can be played on the pull and/or on the push. I think four sharps or flats should be plenty enough range to allow accompaniment with anyone! I am going to have a go at this but it would be useful if others could chip in with suggestions. If there is a book already out there that has done all this then I would also be grateful if someone could point me that way. Here is a list of all the scales.This is off my old chord book so sorry about the quality. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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