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Discussions => Teaching and Learning => Topic started by: Jake Middleton (brinwins) on September 22, 2008, 11:56:24 PM

Title: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Jake Middleton (brinwins) on September 22, 2008, 11:56:24 PM
Hello, I haven't posted in a while... because everythings been fine!

over the last year Ive found 2 sessions in Hertford and I joined the local morris side - Standon morris men, are any of you on this forum?

My problem is: I have trouble keeping along in my sessions due to not having chords like F...  not f sharp 7th just F, and others. Basically can any of you tell me another way of getting some of the more chords (on D/G). OR should I perhaps be investing in a concertina? or a mandolin? I would love to learn Anglo, are they good for chords? would I be better off with an English?(bigger learning curve) Its all for song accompaniment you see. I would also be singing and playing myself. This guy is always at the sessions I go to and he manages quite allot with the concertina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjux7KtvKmk

apart from that Ive never had any problem with the melodeon, I personally think the melodeon is an instrument in its own right, HAHA!
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Theo on September 23, 2008, 01:00:03 AM
If all you need is and F chord then arrange to get the first button on your G row altered to play F on pull then you can play F major -F A C - on the G row.  Of course you will loses something else, only you can decide which is more important.
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Steve_freereeder on September 23, 2008, 07:28:28 AM
.... I would love to learn Anglo, are they good for chords? would I be better off with an English?(bigger learning curve) Its all for song accompaniment you see. I would also be singing and playing myself. ....
Anglo concertinas are great as an accompaniment to singing - just listen to Brian Peters:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=QHFzCisnuT0
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=KCG2csH2OMY
Also easy to play chords. On a 30-key C/G anglo you can play chords of C, G, F, B-flat, D, A, Am, Dm, Em, all quite readily. Many other chords are possible, but maybe not so straightforward.

You might want to nip over the road, so to speak, and have a look at....
http://www.concertina.net/forums/
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Falseknight on September 23, 2008, 08:23:39 AM
Alternatively find a C/F or G/C melodeon.
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Nick Hudis on September 23, 2008, 10:24:09 AM
If you really want an F chord on the bass side:

A Club box in D/G would have an F chord where the C push is on a standard box.  I find this gives some quite intresting harmonic possibilities.  Trouble is they didn't make Clubs in D/G.  Theo can build you one and you'd get a good box at a very reasonable price.

I think he once had for sale a Castagnari Casta in C/F where the Bb push had been altered to Eb.  Lovely sounding box. In theory you could have a push F on a standard D/G.  Only difficulty is you'd have cross rows to harmonise a melody G with a C chord.  No more difficult than doing the same for an E minor.

Nick
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Theo on September 23, 2008, 11:22:50 AM
  Only difficulty is you'd have cross rows to harmonise a melody G with a C chord.  No more difficult than doing the same for an E minor.

And you would no longer be able to play a C chord with a melody C.  That is a step too far for me.
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: george garside on September 23, 2008, 01:23:07 PM

My problem is: I have trouble keeping along in my sessions due to not having chords like F...  not f sharp 7th just F, and others. Basically can any of you tell me another way of getting some of the more chords (on D/G).  [/quote]

do you mean because the session tunes are being played in keys other than D & G in which case life becomes difficult on a DG box & either  as mentioned in this thread a Cf or whatever box can be handy to have. the other way is a chromatic box ( all the semitone boxes are chromatic but unless fitted with same both way bass of some sort the bass end is not up to much)

If however you are talking about Fsharping because somebody is using that chord (or any other thant you hav't got) either because they can eg on a guitar or because it says so in a tune book (&they can play it)  there are many ways of dealing with the situation 
eg by playing a harmonsing handful of notes on the treble side or by simply laying off the bass when you come to what you hav't got , so to speak.   

It is often  impossible or impractical to play chords on a Dg as written by someone in a tune book (bear in mind that many traditional tunes were written without bass eg for pipes or fiddle and that what is written  is therefore only one persons idea of what is right and is not written on tablets of stone). However it is possible in many circumstances to play chords on bass, treble or a combination of both that  fit in very well with the tune.  It doesnt matter what the chord is called provided it harmonises and sounds good. If it doesnt poke about for a better  sounding combinatation of notes and if all else fails just play the simple melody for the 'iffy' bits.

george
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Hasse on September 23, 2008, 06:33:30 PM
My problem is: I have trouble keeping along in my sessions due to not having chords like F...  not f sharp 7th just F, and others. Basically can any of you tell me another way of getting some of the more chords (on D/G). OR should I perhaps be investing in a concertina? or a mandolin?

apart from that Ive never had any problem with the melodeon, I personally think the melodeon is an instrument in its own right, HAHA!

If you are playing together with others and some other instrument are playing a F chord, you might not need a full chord to make it sound good. The chance are that it will sound even better if you play for instans A C or even try out a smooth bass C. The D/G (melodeons) are full of possibilities when it comes to playing in group. If intend to play alone in F or C and really need that F chord maybe you should try an other box or instrument, I recently sold my fiddle so now I intend to bring a mandolin or flute as a second instrument, but only as second instrument.

Experiment!  :)
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: george garside on September 23, 2008, 06:47:47 PM
My problem is: I have trouble keeping along in my sessions due to not having chords like F...  not f sharp 7th just F, and others. Basically can any of you tell me another way of getting some of the more chords (on D/G). OR should I perhaps be investing in a concertina? or a mandolin?

apart from that Ive never had any problem with the melodeon, I personally think the melodeon is an instrument in its own right, HAHA!

If you are playing together with others and some other instrument are playing a F chord, you might not need a full chord to make it sound good. The chance are that it will sound even better if you play for instans A C or even try out a smooth bass C. The D/G (melodeons) are full of possibilities when it comes to playing in group. If intend to play alone in F or C and really need that F chord maybe you should try an other box or instrument, I recently sold my fiddle so now I intend to bring a mandolin or flute as a second instrument, but only as second instrument.

Experiment!  :)

or take along an assortment of mouthies in deferent keys

george
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Jake Middleton (brinwins) on September 23, 2008, 10:32:49 PM
Thanks for the replies guys

I think what I shall do now is go over some of the songs I'm learning - looking at the chords and try some different arrangements, just see what I can do as far as song accompaniment is concerned. It may be that I have more chords than I expected. Also I would have thought English concertina would be ultimate as far as song accompaniment is concerned, I mean they've got so many chromatic notes surely you have almost all chords at your disposal.

by the way those Brian peters vids are relay nice, I liked 7 nights drunk, its lovely with the concertina
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: HallelujahAl on September 24, 2008, 05:43:59 PM
Go for an English Concertina. I've just started playing melodeon and have recently started playing with Harthill Morris. My english will play anything they put up regardless of key - also it's superb for song accomp as well. So I'm currently playing the tunes on the concertina - then learning them again at home on the melodeon. Frankly not even a nuclear wipeout would part me from my English 'tina.
 Regards, AL
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Jake Middleton (brinwins) on September 24, 2008, 10:46:11 PM
That could be interesting, I could always invest in a Jack baritone concertina?

shown here:

http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/244_250_254/products_id/1428?mrSid=cad139fa9b57f2657a4bbb80c1a082c0

as it happens one of the men in the side I just joined just got an english concertina - the Jackie model I should probably talk with him.

In other news a very fun sequence of events has just happened, its currently 10:42 at night, I just got back. It all started with my old time friend tom stopping by at my college. We went to the pub then went back to Hertford to meet some people then as we were walking along the street we heard the sound of the melodeon, discovered it was a barn dance so we joined in! None of my friends had ever done English country dancing before but they all loved it
Title: Re: Chords, melodeons and concertinas
Post by: Steve_freereeder on September 25, 2008, 02:10:15 AM
The debate about the relative merits of English vs Anglo concertinas has been the subject of many threads over at concertina.net, the latest of which starts here:
http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=8125

It will never be resolved. I guess you have to try both systems and see what works best for you.
And we won't even so much as whisper about the various types of duet concertinas ;)
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