My wife and I took advantage of a rare quiet moment to record at our our weekly pub session last night...
"The Musical Priest" Irish Reel duet (fiddle/box)
- Thread starter CC_PDX
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SteveBox
Well-known member
Hi Chauncey. Very nice. I presume you are playing your small Serafini CBA, so I am curious about the frequent bellows reversals that I see, as on a diatonic, but which would be unnecessary on a CBA. Are you trying to simulate the sound of a diatonic? I play a similar small CBA and have tried to simulate the diatonic sound this way, but have concluded that it is too difficult to make it sound realistic.
Yes, it is the Serafini. You can do it to some extent with just articulations but I find the frequent bellows reversals give it some more lift/bounce and provide some more ways to add variety in an exposed setting like this (as opposed to a larger session). I also feel like I have more control over the accents and dynamics when the bellows stay relatively shallow. Added bonus: I take up less real estate in a packed pub session by not needing full extension room.
It still isn’t “realistic” but it has definitely seeped into my Irish playing over the past year to become my own distinctive style, for better or worse.
It still isn’t “realistic” but it has definitely seeped into my Irish playing over the past year to become my own distinctive style, for better or worse.
SteveBox
Well-known member
I try to achieve the same thing by modulating the bellow pressure, but without the frequent bellows reversals. I seldom go to full extension, except maybe at the end of a tune when holding a final chord.
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BamaBino
Newbie
is there a hurdy gurdy also playing?
No. Just the two of us on box and fiddle. I do hope to get a hurdy gurdy someday, though!
