I playing the concertina

[david_boveri]

Wow...

It's your natural language, isn't it?

You talk/write/read in Spanish and also in English.

I know a German, but he hasn't helped me out yet.

 

auf Wiedersehen,

 

Ruchsicht,

Patrick

 

BTW- Anyone know how to include those apostrophe-like things on top of the letters or even the 2 dots above a letter? Or would I need a German keyboard?

...About the signs for other languajes, go to 'character map' in Windows tools, then copy & paste the chosen character... don't know how to explain the path; my Windows is, obviously, in spanish.

 

Cheers,

 

Fer

Alright, thanks. I'll try and find it. I got to be grateful that my computer is in English, or I would have no hope of finding anything, except my music.

 

Cheers,

Patrick

 

programs> accessories>system tools>character map.

 

also, if you look at the character map, there are key codes that allow you to quickly enter characters.

 

if you are serious about a language, you can install the keyboard layout and just type as a native would.

[felix castro]

A question for Fergus, do you play the anglo concertina?

 

Yes, Felix; I'm trying to . I've a Morse Ceili in C/G Jeffries layout, and recently ordered a Suttner A2s - due to my short hands -. My weapon of choice is fiddle, Irish and Scottish tunes with some - very few, I confess - Galician and Asturian tunes here and there. I do play usually at the session in Taberna Elisa, if this rings a bell...

 

Thanks for the details about mikes. I thing I'll go for the Microvox, for to begin with something... Do you use their PSU's? Maybe the lack of signal you tell is because you don't use one of these. I'm using now a crappy Shadow pickup with my fiddle, but using a Boss Equalizer pedal improves a lot the power of the signal... just an idea! Anyway, I think I'll change the pickup for a good microphone, opposite as with the concertina I like the scratchy sounds from the strings.

 

Cheers,

 

Fer

 

I have also small hands but I play perfectly with the suttner 39 buttons model (is it the A4 model?), I note that it has the buttons with smaller diameter than my Dipper's and the buttons are a bit softer, but also fine. I note more in the different concertinas the different distribution of the buttons in the different rows, the lines (alinement ?) of the first buttons (second, third, etc.) of each row, i mean if the line of the buttons are more or less diagonal.

 

Yes, I use a power suply of microvox.

I was yars ago in the Taberna de Elisa, but not playing, when we went to Madrid with Pancho to play (1999).

I don't know many persons in Spain that play the concertina, may be we would do a concertina festival in the future.

I am always playing with squeezebox players in diatonic accordion festivals, as they see the concertina as a small squeezebox (I play the diatonic accordion also but they like more that I play the concertina with them, as it is more unusual for them).

cheers

Félix

[Fergus_fiddler]

I have also small hands but I play perfectly with the suttner 39 buttons model (is it the A4 model?), I note that it has the buttons with smaller diameter than my Dipper's and the buttons are a bit softer, but also fine. I note more in the different concertinas the different distribution of the buttons in the different rows, the lines (alinement ?) of the first buttons (second, third, etc.) of each row, i mean if the line of the buttons are more or less diagonal.

 

Mmmm... when I emailed Jürgen about the most appropiate model for me given the measure of of my middle right finger, he answered the A2s should be the best model for me... Anyway, the order is done, so it's too late now - but I guess I wouldn't be dissapointed! -.

 

I don't know many persons in Spain that play the concertina, may be we would do a concertina festival in the future.

I am always playing with squeezebox players in diatonic accordion festivals, as they see the concertina as a small squeezebox (I play the diatonic accordion also but they like more that I play the concertina with them, as it is more unusual for them).

cheers

Félix

 

There's a festival of irish music every year in Cáceres - 1st weekend in November - and I've been a couple of times. It has workshops & everything and I asked them if they should do a concertina workshop... As soon as I know something about it, I'll mail you.

 

Out of curiosity: How is the squeezebox used in Galician music? A semitone apart, like the irish B/C, C#/D or more like the english and french system; a fifth apart, eg.: C/G, G/D?

 

Thanks & Cheers,

 

Fer

[felix castro]

Really I almost don't use by now the additional buttons because I play mainly with the dipper concertina and it hasn't, I play with the wheatstone system with small variations, mainly the C sharp doubled in the same button, and I adapted the system of the wheatstone of 40 buttons for the 39 buttons, but I changed some of the notes, one for doing a full diatonic scale in the lowest notes of the concertina and also a full diatonic scale in the higher notes.

And if you play mainly irish music, etc. you don't need almost them, I wanted more buttons because I wanted to try harmonies, and as galician music has many compositions with modulations, etc.

The 90% of the repertoire that I play is galician, although I learned using also wonderful tutors as the Niall Vallely's tutor, etc. but mainly by trial/error and by ear. I used to play a lot of irish music years ago, but not on concertina, whistle, uilleann pipes... I am now focused mainly in galician repertoire.

The diatonic accordion in the rest of Europe in general -Italy, France- , not in Ireland and U.K. it is played mainly in G/C, C/F tunings, etc. In Galicia and Asturias nowadays is very common to play using C/F, D/G, B flat/E flat, for accompaniing the bagpipes, but the most usual I think that was lower tuning, G/C, F/B flat. There were also 3 rows accordions.

In north Portugal (Minho region) the diatonic accordion, called "concertina", is their national instrument. You can see a lot of nice concertina players in you tube. Usually people get confused here with the concertina because many people knows that in Portugal they call concertina to the diatonic button accordion. The "concertina" almost made dissapear the portuguese bagpipes in north Portugal, but in Galicia not.

In Ireland they used also the G/C but they call it melodeon, i. e. two row melodeon, but nowadays is more common the other tuning.

Diatonic accordions are externaly very close but it is a world with a lot of tunings, layouts, inventions, etc. Some times a invention as the half tone tuning gets sucessful in one zone and it is the reason of the difference. I. e. the vasque trikitixa, they use the fifth appart tuning, but they had the bass accompaniament unisonoric, not bisonoric, and use usually 3 or 4 sets of reeds in the same high. I. e. in Switzerland they had a special type of diatonic accordion with special layout, etc. etc. It is very similar that the case of concertinas, there are anglo, english, duets, etc. etc. and more over custom made, etc.

Cheers

Félix Castro

 

 

 

I have also small hands but I play perfectly with the suttner 39 buttons model (is it the A4 model?), I note that it has the buttons with smaller diameter than my Dipper's and the buttons are a bit softer, but also fine. I note more in the different concertinas the different distribution of the buttons in the different rows, the lines (alinement ?) of the first buttons (second, third, etc.) of each row, i mean if the line of the buttons are more or less diagonal.

 

Mmmm... when I emailed Jürgen about the most appropiate model for me given the measure of of my middle right finger, he answered the A2s should be the best model for me... Anyway, the order is done, so it's too late now - but I guess I wouldn't be dissapointed! -.

 

I don't know many persons in Spain that play the concertina, may be we would do a concertina festival in the future.

I am always playing with squeezebox players in diatonic accordion festivals, as they see the concertina as a small squeezebox (I play the diatonic accordion also but they like more that I play the concertina with them, as it is more unusual for them).

cheers

Félix

 

There's a festival of irish music every year in Cáceres - 1st weekend in November - and I've been a couple of times. It has workshops & everything and I asked them if they should do a concertina workshop... As soon as I know something about it, I'll mail you.

 

Out of curiosity: How is the squeezebox used in Galician music? A semitone apart, like the irish B/C, C#/D or more like the english and french system; a fifth apart, eg.: C/G, G/D?

 

Thanks & Cheers,

 

Fer