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Author Topic: Where are you going?  (Read 6036 times)

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Nick Collis Bird

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #20 on: November 03, 2014, 08:18:58 AM »

Helena, commandment No. 6.  my nemesis! 😳
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robotmay

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #21 on: November 03, 2014, 09:02:14 AM »

I started to feel like I was getting the hang of this instrument around the start of this year, and it rapidly turned into being my first real passion. I don't have any real musical background, so I'm trying to catch up as fast as possible. I've got one simple goal; to be the best! >:E

I'm not really sure that's possible, and I feel like I'm lacking 10 years that others have had from learning at a younger age, but nothing drives me on better than a challenge. I want to be able to play in a wide range of styles for a wide range of music, and I want to be playing gigs when I'm in my thirties. I'm practicing a lot in the hope of achieving that, but I want to do more.

This next year I'm concentrating on getting out and playing with other people more, as I'm definitely finding it helpful and it's great fun. I'd really like to get more involved in the folk scene and meet/play with new people, as I feel a bit out of the loop in Cardiff. I might finally get around to organising a session here unless someone else beats me to it.

If anyone fancies a part-time apprentice or roadie for a tour then I'm game (and make a great cup of tea) ;D

Im going in, and out. Alot. :||:
A bit like the Southwold tide then...  ;)

And Tony Hall even has a song about that! With an entertaining sleeve note:

Quote
The Enigma of the Southwold Tide
I was brought up a few miles from Southwold, on Suffolk's coast, famous for its beauty AND Adnams bitter! I wrote this a few years ago after a good session on the latter. I believe it's the most boring song ever written.
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Mike Carney

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #22 on: November 03, 2014, 09:08:40 AM »

This may seem a bit OCD, but I do a self-review every three months...
Now, I have a coherent plan against which to measure my progress. If this seems a bit clinical, joyless and lacking in spontaneity, nothing could be further from the truth.

Thanks for that Bob, and, to echo Helena, I don't think this is taking it too far. I realize after reading your post that I have set other targets and kept to them, one of the main ones being to be brave enough to book for M@W. In booking workshops I chose the minor keys workshop as I knew it was something I had been avoiding!
Alas the no. 6 commandment on Helena's list came too late for me and I am awaiting the fettling of a vintage Hohner I went for, to be G/C/acc.   ::) I think I will try to emulate the target idea over 2015. Plenty of food for thought.
Mike
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george garside

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #23 on: November 03, 2014, 09:35:49 AM »

Its good to hear  individual plans for developing    playing   and some some   of 'plan'  can really help to move things along.  But  beware of taking it too seriarsly  as  that can result in removal of the all important  'fun factor' .   It  may well be ok for piano box players  but which    undermine the natural   spontaneity  of suck and blow playing!

My personal development plan  is to never forget that   getting the hang of   the box is a life  long  learning process   that journeys back and forth up blind alleys , makes wonderful discoveries, finds new friends  and   most importantly is immensely enjoyable

george ;D :||: :|glug
« Last Edit: November 03, 2014, 09:37:33 AM by george garside »
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John MacKenzie (Cugiok)

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #24 on: November 03, 2014, 09:57:33 AM »

Nowt wrong wi' Bb Chris. It's also my favourite key to sing in. However, I cheat on guitar, by playing G shapes, with a capo on the third fret.
Mind you, since I caught melodeoning, my guitaring has been severely curtailed ;)

John
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arty

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #25 on: November 03, 2014, 10:46:42 AM »

The reason I asked the question in the first place, is because I feel a bit lost to be honest.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love playing and, frankly, can't wait to get home after work to practice every evening. I feel, because of the progress I have made in the last two and a half years, that I want to have more of a sense of direction, musically that is.

If I may say a little about my background, it may help. I come from a small Island called Jersey, which is British but not part of the UK. It is situated just 14 miles from the north coast of France. I was born into a very musical family, all of whom played musical instruments and some to a very high standard.It was all Classical music of course and there was a kind of snobbery in the house regarding any other kind of music. I learnt and played the oboe (not very well) from the age of 11 until I was 42, when I gave it up through lack of practice time because of having my own business. The guitar followed but didn't feel right for me. Then the melodeon found me....OH! what fun, more fun than I have ever found in music before! I love it!

The reason I mentioned Jersey, where I come from, is that we don't really have our own musical culture. It is a real mish mash, some English, Irish as well but also a lot of French influence, particularly Normandy, because of our proximity to France. There is a Morris side here but it is not taken very seriously by the locals, sadly, a bit of a joke really, (not to the dancers and musicians who take part though).

So this is where I am at.
1. In my learning process so far, I have learnt to play quite a few Morris tunes and I have really enjoyed doing so but I don't want to continue with it to the exclusion of every other type of music, because it doesn't sustain me. It is fun but that's as far as it goes. I have played in my local session a few times and would like to continue, simply because of the fun element and the joy of sharing music with other people but I could never take it too seriously.
2. I really enjoy listening to the sort of music played by people such as this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQkhEuYdp-Y  and this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDVB-K1CH1s
It is their approach to the music, which I find particularly interesting. It is traditional music but has a formal, 'classical feel' to it, which i find very appealing and probably fits very well with my background... Does that make sense?
3. I also love Naragonia, Andy Cutting and many, many others of that ilk, simply because their music sounds more, well, 'musical' than simply bashing out Princess Royal for the umpteenth time, even though I do enjoy the fun of doing that from time to time. French music is often very tuneful and heavenly to my ears, as is Italian. But I think traditional Breton music is awful and that's after having lived there for 4 years! I suspect, because of Olav Bergflodt and Ukebert, I have become aware of the wonderful Norwegian music, (please...no jokes!) which is inspiring. But so is Swedish and Finnish music!

So, as you can probably see, my mind is all over the place. I feel I have reached a stage in my learning, where I want to focus. Then I start questioning things like, do I have the right instrument to go in the more formal music direction that I like. I have a Hascy D/G which I adore but would I be better off sometime in the future having more basses and maybe a third row? I wouldn't want to change now but is it something I should consider in the future? Would I be better off with a G/C? I have a very good ear and the sound of the instrument is very important to me. Much as I love my Hascy, it is not the sound that I want if I go towards the sort of music I enjoy listening to. It seems unbalanced, in that the basses are very strong in comparison to the treble. Having said that, there is a lot that I love about the Hascy and much for it to teach me before I would consider changing.

I do have a pre Pokerwork in C/F and I have just ordered another one from Mike Rowbotham but this time in D/G. These I will use in the local session and for playing more light hearted tunes - that is, just for the fun of it and those old Pokerworks do make a great sound.

Sorry for the length of this post but I hope you will see my confusion. Any ideas, thoughts and advice would be really good. I think I might need a psychoanalyst!  :-\

Might I leave you with this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvGXKfT8keg&list=FLgmtRlQtNZvMIEgqi2QN4Yg&index=167

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!
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robotmay

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #26 on: November 03, 2014, 11:14:34 AM »

It sounds like we're in vaguely the same place at the moment arty; there are so many different styles I want to learn and I'm starting to get an idea of which way I want to go. I definitely want more basses and at least 2 1/2 rows in the future, but as I don't have a spare ÂŁ3-5k to splash on a Mory or a Handry I've decided to wait for a few years and try to improve my technique on the boxes I have first (though my Pokerwork might get swapped for an earlier Hohner at some point). I figure it's better not to get too distracted by the equipment and concentrate on getting the very most out of the instruments I already own. Also I'd end up poor and unable to go to lots of festivals if I spend all my money on another box ;D

I'm not sure if it's possible due to the construction of the Hascy, but you might be able to get another stop added to allow you to remove the low bass reed. I have that option on the Lilium and play without those reeds a lot of the time, especially if I'm playing in the upper octave (as it's a bit overpowering). Though that makes me want a Mory/Handry even more for the more convenient auto switches, rather than having to get someone else to whack the stop in halfway through a tune (like my friend Steve did on the third time through on Sweetness of Mary) >:E

There's definitely a sweeter tone for continental music on a G/C, but you can learn them on a D/G in the same upper-octave fingering and you'll be well prepared for if you expand your collection in future.
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george garside

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #27 on: November 03, 2014, 11:27:16 AM »

Nowt wrong wi' Bb Chris. It's also my favourite key to sing in. However, I cheat on guitar, by playing G shapes, with a capo on the third fret.
 John
[/quote

On that basis I suppose the BCC#  3 row could be seen as a 2 row with a capo as the fingering and bellowing for Bb is in effect A played on the inside rows,  Eb is  D,  Gb is A,   F is E etc.

george ;D
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Theo

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #28 on: November 03, 2014, 11:34:56 AM »

The reason I mentioned Jersey, where I come from, is that we don't really have our own musical culture. It is a real mish mash, some English, Irish as well but also a lot of French influence, particularly Normandy, because of our proximity to France. There is a Morris side here but it is not taken very seriously by the locals, sadly, a bit of a joke really, (not to the dancers and musicians who take part though).

This could also be true about much of England!
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Ollie

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #29 on: November 03, 2014, 11:45:21 AM »


To this end I've joined in with the current fad for Bb/Eb sessions, though mainly chording as that's the way my brain works. Bit disappointed that much of the "Flat Tendency" repertoire has been "same tunes, different key", but there have been some quite glorious exceptions to that! Frankly if I carried a Bb/Eb around, I'd exploring D blues (which is the "built in" blues key on that 2-row).

Chris, as I have explained before, the reason no one is playing D blues at the flat sessions is the same reason you don't get people playing F# blues at a regular DG English session... people don't have an interest in playing blues! Flat sessions are there to give people with flat boxes the chance to play together, and to give those who play flat brass instruments the opportunity to play without having to finger some difficult keys. Playing tunes is different keys gives them a completely different feel, which is another reason for the sessions. Now please, stop bringing up D blues every time flat boxes are mentioned, it's getting quite tiresome. We've heard you, and that's fine if that's what you want to do, but we'd rather just get on and play music that we enjoy playing.


In terms of my personal plan, like everyone else, I just want to keep improving. I'm well aware that my playing is still not as consistent as it should be, so I need to work on that. I'd like to explore Québécois repertoire more than I already have, as well as some pieces from the classical cannon. I really want to get my teeth stuck into another musical project, but I've not found one yet, so we'll see what happens. Some more gigs would be nice, too!
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robotmay

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #30 on: November 03, 2014, 11:52:00 AM »

The reason I mentioned Jersey, where I come from, is that we don't really have our own musical culture. It is a real mish mash, some English, Irish as well but also a lot of French influence, particularly Normandy, because of our proximity to France. There is a Morris side here but it is not taken very seriously by the locals, sadly, a bit of a joke really, (not to the dancers and musicians who take part though).

This could also be true about much of England!

And Wales! It's really hit and miss as to where we'll get any interest when we dance out. Tourist areas of Cardiff are great, small pubs up in the valleys not so much (especially as if you do anything extravagant in the valleys on a Sunday you're at risk of waking up the locals ;))
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911377brian

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #31 on: November 03, 2014, 12:11:56 PM »

Learn Tune of the month, EVERY month, come to terms with illogical air buttons....I like to keep life simple....
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Stiamh

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #32 on: November 03, 2014, 12:16:28 PM »

After 10 years at the box I'm still trying to catch up, and this will no doubt be true when I squeeze my last breath or box.

Trying to catch up with who[m]*? That varies... myself mainly (trying to catch up with the way I hear the tunes in my head, and others that I quail to tackle). Most of the players I admire I'll never catch up with so competition doesn't really enter into it.

For those who are a bit lost: did you take up the melodeon because you loved the instrument, or did you take it up in order to play a particular style of music? I don't think many of us in the latter category are likely to feel lost. Just musing.

* Pedantry prevention (:)

Owen Woods

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #33 on: November 03, 2014, 12:50:11 PM »

I wish I knew where I was going!
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Mike Hirst

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #34 on: November 03, 2014, 01:10:39 PM »

I wish I knew where I was going!

If I knew where I was heading, there is a danger that one day I may get there.

Once the destination is reached the journey is ended.

In the words of the ill fated Shaun Brogan:

Quote
If I knew where I was going to die, I wouldn't feckin' go there.

My personal journey has been a never ending arbitrary and ill directed ramble which has lead me both physically and emotionally through the traditions, culture and passions of, Northern England, the East coast, Louisiana, Dartmoor, Columbia, Dominican Republic, West Africa, Brittany, Haute Provence, Marche, Lucania and many other places besides.

After 10 years playing the melodeon I consciously  chose a path that I have followed for the past 25+ years. I love music; I love culture; I love people. The only honest statement I can make is to play the music that comes from my heart. I play 'Mike Hirst music' - a ragged and ever changing amalgam of of all the musics I have ever heard, played and studied. informed by a desire to command the moment;  to make a statement both new and succinct, whose resonance is only as vibrant as it's importance may be in the possible futures to come.

Sometimes I succeed.
« Last Edit: November 03, 2014, 03:56:27 PM by Mike Hirst »
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Steve_freereeder

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #35 on: November 03, 2014, 02:04:32 PM »

Im going in, and out. Alot. :||:
A bit like the Southwold tide then...  ;)

And Tony Hall even has a song about that! With an entertaining sleeve note:

Quote
The Enigma of the Southwold Tide
I was brought up a few miles from Southwold, on Suffolk's coast, famous for its beauty AND Adnams bitter! I wrote this a few years ago after a good session on the latter. I believe it's the most boring song ever written.
Yes! Someone has recognised my quote!  (:)
Actually, I love the Southwold Tide song - it's funny and I don't think it's boring.
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robotmay

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #36 on: November 03, 2014, 02:33:20 PM »

Haha, it's one of my favourites on that album too. It really threw me the first time I listened through the CD; now it always puts a smile on my face ;D
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oggiesnr

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #37 on: November 03, 2014, 07:05:21 PM »

I wish I knew where I was going!

The recording studio?   :||:

Steve
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John MacKenzie (Cugiok)

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #38 on: November 03, 2014, 07:19:12 PM »

To the dogs

John  :neigh:
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Where are you going?
« Reply #39 on: November 04, 2014, 09:18:42 AM »

if I carried a Bb/Eb around, I'd be exploring D blues (which is the "built in" blues key on that 2-row).
Chris, as I have explained before, the reason no one is playing D blues at the flat sessions is the same reason you don't get people playing F# blues at a regular DG English session... people don't have an interest in playing blues! Flat sessions are there to give people with flat boxes the chance to play together, and to give those who play flat brass instruments the opportunity to play without having to finger some difficult keys. Playing tunes is different keys gives them a completely different feel, which is another reason for the sessions. Now please, stop bringing up D blues every time flat boxes are mentioned, it's getting quite tiresome. We've heard you, and that's fine if that's what you want to do, but we'd rather just get on and play music that we enjoy playing.

Thanks for the Correction. But for the record .. think this has "come up"  (quick Google ..) once in total You don't like it .. NP (:) but my own post was partly a response to Bob's exploration, and more "about" my own direction than any campaign you might perceive.

Actually, thinking about it, I know several melnet parishioners well capable of flicking some F# blues into a trad tune (typically on an A chord), and learned the technique myself from Rees, back in 1987 or so. (I am still grateful for the fun he's given me)  :D  I thought it was only the Navigator Guild in "Dune" who could "travel without moving"?  ::)
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