Melodeon.net Forums
Discussions => News and Events => Topic started by: Julian S on April 29, 2018, 07:49:14 PM
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Looking forward to the series about instrument makers on Radio 4 starting on Tuesday (1130 I think) with a programme about guitars, but I hear that programme 2 - presumably 8 May - is about diatonic button accordions...much more interesting of course ! (:)
J
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It includes Andy Cutting, Katie Howsen and everyone's favourite Frenchman Emmanuel Pariselle.
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I looked it up on the BBC website. The first one is 11:30am tomorrow. I could find no information about later episodes. There is however one from February available covering violins guitars and Uillean pipes.
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Aaaah so that was what they were recording in his workshop. I'll have to keep an eye out for that when it airs :D
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The melodeon one is next Tuesday, May 8th
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I hope it's as good as the guitar one today. I was surprised to hear the name Stefan Sobell mentioned, it took me back (too) many years to the Barley Mow folk club and his nasal singing tones!!! It was great, though.
Roll-on next week.
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I hope it's as good as the guitar one today. ...
Roll-on next week.
I found it fascinating. Have to agree: Roll on next week!
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Some detail here. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b1r1d6)
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Much too short at 30 minutes!
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I just caught the end of a program called Instrument Makers on R4 today which was about a guitar maker. Next week it is about Emanuel Pariselle, starts at 11.30am
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[[ADMIN]]
Topics merged
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Here's the BBC description:
"Emmanuel Pariselle welcomes renowned musicians Andy Cutting and Katie Howson to his home, just outside the picturesque French city of Poitiers, where he builds diatonic button accordions for some of Europe's finest players.
In his workshop, Emmanuel combines technical skill with a passion for problem-solving, as he aims to build the perfect squeezebox for every musician. Here, he discusses how the instruments are built and maintained, the special relationship between a musician and a maker, and what qualities make a great musician.
We hear how the arrival of the Sheng from China in the early-1800s gave birth to the whole accordion family, including harmonium, mouth organ, concertina and melodeon, and how the instruments have travelled around the world to Ireland, Portugal, South Africa and Quebec.
Emmanuel talks us through the key process of tuning the reeds, operating the bellows with a foot pedal and filing off tiny amounts of steel each time to adjust the pitch.
Later, we hear him take a nervous Katie's two-row button accordion apart to try and diagnose a clickety rattle in the action. And, on a box he designed and built with Emmanuel, Andy demonstrates the difference in what the left-hand and right-hands do and explains that the longer he plays the instrument, the more it plays how he wants it to play.
Ever wondered what a free reed is? Or what distinguishes an accordion from a melodeon? Or whether you can make a musical instrument from plywood? This is a unique insight into this fascinating instrument - and three friends' relationship with it - with stories and music along the way."
I don't remember feeling "nervous" about Emmanuel inspecting my box, but hey, that's showbusiness!
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Taking apart is usually easy but putting back together................
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As a bit of a fan of 'Monsieur Pariselle' I really looked forward to the programme today but have to say I was disappointed.
I felt it could have been much better than it was (sorry Katie). Yes, the advertised topics of information were more or less there but it all felt very unstructured and badly planned, with limited appeal whether you were already a player or not. Clearly it can be much more difficult to convey a subject like this without the aid of video pictures, even so............. ?
Coincidentally a local colleague has this evening expressed similar comments so perhaps it is not just the hot weather making me grumpy.
What do others think ?
Rob
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I enjoyed it a lot. I rather liked the unstructured approach which I think could have been spoiled by a producer not familiar with the material imposing their own ideas.
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Here's a link
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b1r1d6
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That programme is profound.
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Taking apart is usually easy but putting back together................
“Refit is reverse of removal”, as the great works of fiction say... if only Haynes made a melodeon manual
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(:) will listen to it tomorrow on BBC i player, spent today at Beamish museum looking around and saying " we had/have one of those" (:)
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Andy Cutting sounds like a kid in Father Christmas's workshop! You can 'hear' the grin covering his face ;D
A few years ago, I went on one of Emmanuel's one row making courses, organised by Katie. Listening to the programme brought back memories as I visualised the three of them wandering around his workshop.
Having also listened to the previous week's programme about Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars, both programmes captured the enthusiasm, dedication and philosophy of the makers more than giving an insight into guitars or diatonic accordions. I suspect next week's about a maker of Welsh harps will follow a similar trail.
Definitely worth a listen, especially for Emmanuel's unique sense of humour :)
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Sorry you felt disappointed, Robin.
I suppose if it had been more structured it would have been a bit more "instructional" in tone, but I think it achieved a nice relaxed approach to a difficult subject. It was certainly tricky to try and paint a picture for the listener, many of whom wouldn't be too sure what a diatonic button accordion looked like on the outside, never mind on the inside. My role became "state the blindingly obvious" and "ask the idiotic questions" at times for that reason. I thought the production brought out the "making the right instrument for the right person" approach very clearly, and demystified it to a certain extent, with mention of clothes hangers and plywood! Some people from the early workshops will remember the buttons made from the things that go on the bottom of chair legs! And an enduring memory of mine is the stops stuck into take-away pizza boxes while they dried!
I believe the fourth programme in the series is about the Uillean Pipes, so that should be another interesting one in terms of trying to explain things that you can't see easily.
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A nice rambling way to spend 30 minutes... structurally very un-Cartesian. Listening idly while working I was a little surprised when Emanuel started talking about « chocolat chaud » (after the goat cheese!) until I realized I had misheard his pronunciation of "circular saw" (:)
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I enjoyed it - suspect most of the R4 audience won't know what a melodeon is - and I thought it conveyed the joy of music and musical instruments to non-musicians .
( And I'll still call my 2 row diatonic accordeons melodeons. )
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Thanks for your comment Katie.
The points you make, along with Theo, are certainly fair ones and it's good that many on here obviously enjoyed the programme.
I can also echo the nostalgia felt by Andy Next Tune as I was reminded too, of the banter (and kind support) on the first One-Row making course at Stowmarket, when Theo, Rees, and Lester, also of this Parish were also present (and others no doubt) if I remember correctly.
Ahhh, I shall go and wallow again on YouTube with 'La Nonchalante' as played and sung by Emmanuel on that French canal boat.
Rob
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...I tend to call them button accordions, I have to admit.
But... I just listened to this program and thought it was excellent! I was there with them in the workshop. And Emmanuelle's infectious sense of humour came across really well. There is, after all, only so much you can get in 27 mins of radio program. Interesting to note, also, that EP uses electric grinder to tune his reeds ( or it might have been an engraver). File purists take note. (:)
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Great programme. As a lover of the instrument and it's music without a great deal of understanding or interest in the details of the inner workings I thought it was perfectly balanced, interesting and good fun.
Congrats everyone involved!
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Maybe I'm too easily pleased but, I feel came away with an enlightened understanding of Emmanuel's and Andy's philosophies of what happens between player and maker.
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What a brilliant programme....I really enjoyed that !
Part way through the programme, Emmanuel plays a bit of a tune which I love and would like to learn. Here he is, playing that tune at Hallsway Manor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrs2N8PNrTE
Does anyone know the name of the tune? If someone has the dots it would be helpful ! (:)
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Re the tune - The New Land - Otis Tomas I think. Versions to be found on the Session website.
I agree - really nice tune. I occasionally play it but lurking in my 'projects' file along with many others !
(And still trying to find time to catch up with the programme)
J
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Thank you Julian (:)
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Five Men in a Boat (inc Emmanuel) playing the New Land (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BXF6x6UHy8)
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Taking apart is usually easy but putting back together................
“Refit is reverse of removal”, as the great works of fiction say... if only Haynes made a melodeon manual
It would surely include the immortal phrase "You may need a special tool for this job..." :|glug
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I particularly enjoyed the programme but did I misunderstand ? Emmanuel also makes staircases ? If so, I wonder if he might consider a special deal, staircase and melodeon... ::)
I'll go and take the tablets...
J
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Not only was EP using a rotary tool for tuning >:E but he dissed the idea that the tone wood used makes a difference, opining that the reed block timber is important (having said that, and slightly off topic, I had some training from another box tech (not of this parish) and his practices, used over many years, also differed quite a bit from what would be considered acceptable on here).