The Concertina!

[vivdunstan]

Perhaps those who are used to other bisonoric instruments will find the Anglo to be fairly natural. I think the Anglo is particularly nice for dance tunes.

It’s certainly a big challenge for me, but I decided if I was going to try the concertina I’d go for the Anglo option. It’s partly reflecting my Irish heritage too. My Yorkshire granddad’s mum was from Dublin, and the Irish side of our family is extremely musical. But I was also keen to try something that was a real contrast from the piano accordions I’m used to. I didn’t just want to repeat my past experience on a smaller squeezebox. Another advantage of the Anglo is it‘s an especially well supported variety in terms of arrangement books. I mentioned Gary Coover earlier. He has a lot of fab Anglo books, using an extremely intuitive notation system to show the push/pull actions to use and buttons to use. To be fair using those notations does feel a little like cycling with training wheels still on. But it does encourage progress, and there are some lovely tunes in his books. As I said I’m still relatively early on. I’ve been extremely ill the last few years so progress is slow. But yup, enjoying. But again it was important to me to try something new.

 

[vivdunstan]

For any interested in concertinas, a visit to concertina.net will be a real eye-opener.

Yup, seconding this. I found it a very helpful place when I was deciding to buy a new concertina box, and seeking advice on modestly priced but still responsive options. It’s also a very encouraging place for new learners. And arrangements are often shared on the site.

 

[JerryPH]

B4000
Understandable failing - on my part.
My grammar: In "1. It was for people..." "it" refers to the tutor and not the concertina.
Booth recognised salvationists might have to accompany a tune but be unable to read the dots. The tutor is a 3-chord-tricks manual
for the likely keys. Booth figured if you could hold a tune you'd be able to work out - and vamp - the chords.
His book shows the keyboard layout with the buttons to be used blacked in.
As for the tuning - when a Bb brass player said he was in Bb he was in fact in Ab. (As you say C brass = Bb piano)
Cornet player calls " 'No night, there' in Bb"
Concertinist turns to her trusty manual of chords, finds Bb etc and does not need to know the notes are in fact the Ab chord; which are also the notes produced by the cornet.
Everyone is happy.
PS Booth, being a man of some experience, was aware that a Bb tune might well morph into F. He warned his users and gave the most likely keys to look out for.

For a PA accordion to comp a concertina, they'd better be really comfprtable playing lots of flats!!!

 

[boxplayer4000]

walker: The damage that Cromwell did to Borthwick is very visible, just below one of the main hall window/apertures on the East wall.
dunlustin: Thanks for the explanation. Whatever Booth did it seems to have worked.

 

[Dingo40]

I just realised I'd been misreading the title of this thread as "The CONCERTINAL"
I thought, " I didn't know Walker was a Bristolian!
(From the web:
"The local Bristolian accent is notorious for a linguistic quirk known as intrusive-l, where some speakers seem unable to help themselves from adding a so-called dark “l” to syllables and words ending in certain neutral vowels—even going so far as to change the historical name of their city.")

 

[Walker]

Wash your mouth out Mr. Dingo!

It is quite funny though, mistaking ! for l.

To clarify for posterity, I am a native of Inverness, though my heritage in the male line "Walker" lies deep in the heart of the Grampian Highlands, literally for centuries, and evidenced in genealogical records and oral tradition. As the crow flies, it's maybe 50 miles from where I live now to the heart of Braemar, Royal Deeside, Glen Muick etc.

It is true that there are large and healthy gatherings of Walkers in Lowland Scotland and Yorkshire, England and elsewhere with their own ancient and fascinating stories. However, my line is distinct from these as we are originally of the "MacNucator". To quote the great John Grant Michie who wrote the fantastic old book, Deeside Tales: Of Men And Manners On Highland Deeside Since 1745, in his notes on The Personal Names of Highland Mar he writes "In modem Gael, the spelling is MacFucadair, son of the fuller, or in Scotch “waulker,” which gives the personal name Walker".

Michie goes on to reference an interesting Latin document contained in the Clan Grant records - Notorial Instrument, made on 9th January 1528, on Agreement between the Clan Grant and Tenants of Strathdee on 4th January 1527. The document describes the feud between the Grants of Strathspey and the tenants on the King’s Lands, The Earl of Huntly’s and Gordon of Abergeldie’s, in Strathdee.

The document details the violent raiding, stealing of livestock and grain and basically a big old "beef" between Grants of Strathspey and Strathdee tenants. A number of these interestingly named MacFucadair (Walker) types were named on the Strathdee side, and one appears to be a ringleader as he is named first on the list! Goes to show, unless you are a celebrity or posh, you only get named if you are badly behaved. Still, it was the Grants' fault - no doubt!

Anyway, over the following centuries all these great MacNucators became Highland Walkers and that's the story that I'm sticking to.

Where was I? Oh yes. What I meant to say was - I'm an Invernessian - and we speak the finest English in the World! It's a well known fact (or at least it used to be) - and you can take that to the bank!

 

[TomBR]

Concertinas are very beguiling little instruments. Traditional concertinas have a great air of quality about them, leather bellows, beautiful wood and (sometimes) shiny metal.

Writer Bernard Shaw was an advocate of the English concertina, recommending it for anyone who wished to play violin music without the years of struggle!

The English concertina was invented by (Sir) Charles Wheatstone - (everyone always adds "inventor of the Wheatstone Bridge" without necessarily knowing what that is!) Although he wasn't a musician rather incredibly he took the decision to put the notes that lie on the lines of the treble clef on one side of the instrument, and the notes in the spaces on the other side. It works really well!

They are wonderfully portable. When I was playing Anglo it was no problem to put my Anglo and my wife's English in my carry on bag for frequent Ryanair visits to her parents in Ireland. At Birmingham airport they often opened the bag to have a look, in Dublin airport they generally recognised them on the x-ray - sometimes just asking the question with suitable hand movements!

The Anglo in particular is a fascinating musical Rubik's cube! Bertram Levy has done some interesting exploration of the limits.
(Anglo led him on to the completely illogical bisonoric bandoneon.)

A word of warning - by unconscious tension while enthusiastically learning Anglo I gave myself a very painful shoulder that needed physiotherapy.

 

[boxplayer4000]

Apologies for wandering off the concertina theme; we will get back!
walker: An impressive lineage. As a 1/8th MacDonald myself sections of the family have held romantic notions of the lineage and I have held this link alive in being involved in the music and culture. I am presently reading 'The Scottish Enlightenment' by Arthur Herman and his take on the clan systems in place in the 17th and 18th centuries bears little resemblance to the romantic notions we have been encouraged to believe.
I found it a bit of a surprise and let-down.
TomBR: I hadn't made the concertina 'Wheatstone' connection with the electric circuit 'Wheatstone Bridge' which existed in my marine engineering period ie. steering gears.

 

[Walker]

Apologies for wandering off the concertina theme; we will get back!
walker: An impressive lineage. As a 1/8th MacDonald myself sections of the family have held romantic notions of the lineage and I have held this link alive in being involved in the music and culture. I am presently reading 'The Scottish Enlightenment' by Arthur Herman and his take on the clan systems in place in the 17th and 18th centuries bears little resemblance to the romantic notions we have been encouraged to believe.
I found it a bit of a surprise and let-down.

Thanks for that, boxplayer4000 - but mine is not a grand history, far from it... just ordinary folk of the land.

Very interesting about the clan system and the big clans names like Macdonald etc. I must look for this book.

Now back to concertinas.

 

[Tom]

....back to concertinas. Chemnitzer is king here, followed by the 3 row Corona. Interestingly there was a guy at the farmers market last year playing an anglo while singing Italian favorites. He was actually pretty good. I sold my Chemnitzers but am retaining my Corona till the piano accordion is too big to play.

 

[Walker]

Oh my, oh my...



Yeah, don't think I can really call the accordion 'the box' any more. Just yeah, wow.

 

[Tom]

Very similar to the one I sold. Too many instruments, not enough desire.

 

[Walker]

It's gorgeous @Tom, like a great big birthday cake. I don't know whether to play it or ask for a slice.

 

[Dingo40]

Johann pö snippen
( John, the workman)

 

[RebeccaHemmings]

I wanted to share with you my personal experience with the concertina. While I've played various instruments over the years, there's something truly special about the concertina that captured my heart. I was instantly drawn to its unique sound and the way it effortlessly blends with Irish music, which I adore. Recently, I made an exciting addition to my collection—I acquired a Swan Anglo concertina with 30 buttons. Let me tell you, I’m absolutely delighted with this instrument! The quality, sound, and playability are simply outstanding. It's been a joy to explore its capabilities and discover the beautiful melodies that can be brought to life with it.

 

[JerryPH]

While not a concertina, I did try a bandoneon while at the accordion museum... evil thing, made me sound bad.

 

[NickC]

I've been toying with the idea of picking up a concertina. I think I would enjoy having something so portable. I'm just concerned with having to learn another fingering system. One is hard enough.