buikligger Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hi concertina friends, in a couple of weeks I'm off to the Joe Mooney Summer School in Drumshanbo, Ireland for a week with Noel Hill. I would want to be prepared in some way. So I ask those of you who have attended the beginners classes with Noel in earlier days which beginners tunes I can prepare myself for. kind greetings, Dirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombilly Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Don't know how many concertina classes there are in Drumshanbo - I did a box class there about 5 years ago and there were 3 classes - advanced, inter, 'beginner'. Usually there's a grading at these things - you play a tune and are assigned a class, so no guarantee, you'll get Noel. AFAIK, at Willie Week, Noel doesn't even teach - he just organises all the other tutors. But Joe Mooney is a good bit smaller so unlikely to have that luxury there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Dirk, if you are going to end up taking classes with Noel, I suggest you read the small document 'Playing Across the Row' written by David Levine recently, it sums up what fingering Noel uses and teaches, it could be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buikligger Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Dirk, if you are going to end up taking classes with Noel, I suggest you read the small document 'Playing Across the Row' written by David Levine recently, it sums up what fingering Noel uses and teaches, it could be helpful. @tombilly: I definitely will be in his class, that's arranged @ azalin: I play the English concertina, so I'll be playing across the rows permanently (lol) tunes, just tunes...(lol) kind greetings, Dirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 @ azalin: I play the English concertina, so I'll be playing across the rows permanently (lol) Ah! I'm wondering, since you'll probably be working on tunes only, what is the difference between learning from a CD at home (by slowing down the music) and learning in a class if all you'll do is learn the notes? Is there no 'learning irish music on english concertinas' classes around your area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Stout Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Are there "learning Irish music on an English" classes anywhere? I assume that what you'd be learning is how the ornamentation works and how to do interesting, but traditional, variation, not just tunes. I remember attending such a class by Frank Edgely at NESI. It was aimed at all systems of concertina, since it focused on musical issues rather than instrument type specific fingering issues. I've also gone to classes where the instrument was not specified, we had sheet music, learned (or at least were introduced to) tunes and had demonstration a leisurely speed of how the tune sounds and how to emphasize decorate it a bit (classes with Rachel Hall, Matt Heumann, and Grey Larson come to mind here). I think you almost always get more by learning a tune from a person than you do from learning it from a CD, though some of my favorites I learned from sheet music and some I picked up from repeated listening to a CD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buikligger Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 since there are no concertina classes in Belgium I 'need' to come to Ireland to have some 'in vivo' teaching. I'm not good at learning from a CD (to complicated for my untrained ears), so a live class is better. The teacher can make some remarks and suggestions concerning my style of playing. What i want to learn is phrasing tunes, ornamentation and variations. And Noel agreed to teach this to an English Tina player like me. As i will have to learn a lot, (more then i can manage), and have to 'translate' Noels remarks for the Anglo system to the English I want to make some good preparations by studying some beginners tunes from Noels teaching repertoire. So beginners-tunes, please (lol) dirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buikligger Posted June 11, 2009 Author Share Posted June 11, 2009 Did no-one ever go to Noels classes? I'll get some private teaching then (lol) Dirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombilly Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 The problem Dirk with answering your query is that there are hundreds of 'easy' tunes! Furthermore tutors at these kind of classes often try to find a tune that the group participants don't know. This is so they don't have preconceived notions on how it might sound or 'bad habits' in technique etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 @ azalin: I play the English concertina, so I'll be playing across the rows permanently (lol) Ah! I'm wondering, since you'll probably be working on tunes only, what is the difference between learning from a CD at home (by slowing down the music) and learning in a class if all you'll do is learn the notes? Is there no 'learning irish music on english concertinas' classes around your area? if you're asking whats the difference between learning from a human being and learning from a recording there's no helping you, might as well give me that dipper now, cuz you have no use for it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azalin Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 if you're asking whats the difference between learning from a human being and learning from a recording there's no helping you, might as well give me that dipper now, cuz you have no use for it . Well, I remain to be convinced that if I were playing the recorder, for example, I'd learn much in a whistle class with 12 other students playing the whistle, compared to listening to a CD. Meanwhile, I locked my Dipper inside a drawer ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_boveri Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 if you're asking whats the difference between learning from a human being and learning from a recording there's no helping you, might as well give me that dipper now, cuz you have no use for it . Well, I remain to be convinced that if I were playing the recorder, for example, I'd learn much in a whistle class with 12 other students playing the whistle, compared to listening to a CD. Meanwhile, I locked my Dipper inside a drawer ;-) haha, you keep that dipper locked all you want. i'll get my grubby little hands on it eventually. can anyone say recession? just imagine all the wonderful recorders you could buy if you sold it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Hi Dirk I think you are asking what tunes will Noel teach. If that is your question I would say that only Noel could tell you what tunes he will teach. He may not even know that until he is in the classroom. I attend Noel's classes and I would like to know which tunes we will be working on too. It seems it would be good to have a head start on the tunes taught in any class but often I don't know them at all. I do enjoy the process of hearing a tune for the first time, not knowing where the melody will be going, and gradually having the tune become familiar and internalized. Maybe that is a benefit of not knowing the tunes you are about to be taught. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I attend Noel's classes and I would like to know which tunes we will be working on too. It seems it would be good to have a head start on the tunes taught in any class but often I don't know them at all. I do enjoy the process of hearing a tune for the first time, not knowing where the melody will be going, and gradually having the tune become familiar and internalized. Maybe that is a benefit of not knowing the tunes you are about to be taught. I don't know Noel's thoughts on the matter, but... If Noel -- or any teacher -- wants to teach specific techniques or styling, I would imagine that it could be a great hindrance to have students who have already taught themselves different techniques/styling, through practicing without instruction before the class starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henrik Müller Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 ...... ... I don't know Noel's thoughts on the matter, but... If Noel -- or any teacher -- wants to teach specific techniques or styling, I would imagine that it could be a great hindrance to have students who have already taught themselves different techniques/styling, through practicing without instruction before the class starts. Yup, exactly. On the other hand, if one was to learn the tunes' raw "skeleton" only, I can see it as a help. Then there will be one thing less to fight. The risk is, of course, that there may be different skeletons... /Henrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter Laban Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 It may help to know the tunes but maybe not to already play them because he uses tunes to teach particular approaches i.e. the use of particular buttons/bellows directions. Going at it on your own could see you having to re-learn you approach to a tune, which could complicate things unnecessarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 The risk is, of course, that there may be different skeletons... Exactly. And I already have a closet full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buikligger Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 Ok folks, thanks for the reactions. I think I'll have to risk the jump. Next week is very close now. I'll keep you informed Dirk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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