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Author Topic: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"  (Read 2725 times)

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Winston Smith

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"my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« on: August 08, 2017, 11:08:16 AM »

The title is a quote from P&T, from his tunes thread, which set me thinking (always dangerous!).

Although I'm enjoying the North East Melodeon Group (or whatever it's is really called) immensely, I'm rather unhappy with the 2 voice box which I converted from C/F to D/G to join it. It's not the fact that it's shabby, or even that the tuning isn't quite perfect! The problem is that most of the other boxes present have the lovely lower third voice, and mine sounds awfully squeaky when played alongside them. I managed to remedy this to a certain extent, last night, by taking along my newly acquired 114 G; playing that with all the stops open. It was so much easier than clarting about cross-rowing with the 2-row, and a whole lot more pleasant than squeaking like a mouse!

However, I'm sure that there'll be tunes which I cannot join in with with the 1-row, so I imagine that changing my 2-row to bandonion tuning will be the only way to be relatively happy with it.

Is it the squeakiness which you don't like P&T, or is there something more "musical" which, in my ignorance, I'm missing completely?
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playandteach

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2017, 11:41:16 AM »

I actually really like the sweet sound of the Castagnari Sander box I had last night in the two voice setting. It is powerful enough and really clean. I just like the music that is written for lower boxes, and I now 'think' of all the buttons on any box in terms of the GC keys, so I can't sightread music written for different boxes - and considering that my memory for tunes is non existent, I do need the music.
So it's a bunch of things. I find the French music tends to be written higher up the box (on a GC) which is perhaps not the best end of a DG box, but that's only half the picture. I've trained my mind in GC.
Last night I found it easier to demonstrate the tunes with 2 voices for the clarity of pitch, but then switched to 3 voices when playing together really only so that you could all hear me.
I did try about half a dozen DG boxes (thanks all who gave me an approval period) and this one really had a fine 2 voice balance. But I really liked the Verdi 12 bass box that Rees had - which is a 2 voice box (2.5 row). That had lots going for it. Maybe it is down to the reeds? Now if it had been GC...
I perhaps think that in less high quality boxes the top end is the one to suffer.
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rees

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2017, 03:05:09 PM »

I recently bought a Castagnari Roma second-hand from an Italian musician. Advertised as D/G with internal mics, it was a bargain.
The D/G Roma is normally MMM but when it turned up I found it was LLL!
A gorgeous sound, stunning in concert but practically inaudible in sessions.

Castagnari have now supplied a set of treble blocks MMM so I can enjoy the best of both worlds on the Roma.
I still wield my one-rows in sessions just for the grunt.
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Rees Wesson (accordion builder and mechanic)
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arty

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2017, 05:01:40 PM »

P&T - when you say that you really enjoyed the Verdi box you tried, do you mean a G. Verde box? I often listen to this man, who plays a G. Verde but I can't find any information about the maker. You may enjoy listening to his channel on You Tube, an exceptional player, to my ears. Here he is playing Greensleeves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oljhvsWbC5c
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rees

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2017, 05:15:44 PM »

Yes it is G.Verde based in Turin. Mostly piano boxes with a decent range of diatonics manufactured by Polverini (and other Italians) and badged as Verde.
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Rees Wesson (accordion builder and mechanic)
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triskel

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2017, 06:36:00 PM »

Castagnari have now supplied a set of treble blocks MMM so I can enjoy the best of both worlds on the Roma.

You could maybe have the best of three worlds with LMM as another option, though you might have to rearrange the middle L block to suit...  ???

rees

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2017, 09:28:50 PM »

Castagnari have now supplied a set of treble blocks MMM so I can enjoy the best of both worlds on the Roma.

You could maybe have the best of three worlds with LMM as another option, though you might have to rearrange the middle L block to suit...  ???

I did think about that but I do like the three voice musette sound so will leave as is.
The LLL is a light musette +5 0 -5 and sounds very posh particularly in the higher octave.
The MMM blocks arrived from Castagnari with full Tremolo Italiano as wet as Connemara on a Tuesday. I've retuned to +10 0 -10, it is now raucous with shades of old Paolo.
I like.
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Rees Wesson (accordion builder and mechanic)
Gungrog, Welshpool, Wales, UK
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Malcolm Clapp

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2017, 04:46:48 AM »


The D/G Roma is normally MMM but when it turned up I found it was LLL!
A gorgeous sound, stunning in concert but practically inaudible in sessions.


Similar problem with my 3 voice Dino Baffetti D/G, LL and very L.
Great for home use, in the workshop with sympathetic vibrations from the roller door.....but might as well be miming in a session.
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Sage Herb

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2017, 08:33:39 AM »

Castagnari have now supplied a set of treble blocks MMM so I can enjoy the best of both worlds on the Roma.

You could maybe have the best of three worlds with LMM as another option, though you might have to rearrange the middle L block to suit...  ???


I did think about that but I do like the three voice musette sound so will leave as is.
The LLL is a light musette +5 0 -5 and sounds very posh particularly in the higher octave.
The MMM blocks arrived from Castagnari with full Tremolo Italiano as wet as Connemara on a Tuesday. I've retuned to +10 0 -10, it is now raucous with shades of old Paolo.
I like.

Rees - your box sounds absolutely wonderful in MMM as retuned!
Cheers
Steve
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rees

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2017, 09:42:37 AM »

Thanks Steve  (:) (:)
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Rees Wesson (accordion builder and mechanic)
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Guy

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Re: "my heart is still a fifth lower though"
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2017, 11:17:51 PM »

I recently bought a Castagnari Roma second-hand from an Italian musician. Advertised as D/G with internal mics, it was a bargain.
The D/G Roma is normally MMM but when it turned up I found it was LLL!
A gorgeous sound, stunning in concert but practically inaudible in sessions.


Ha! Rees, I thought mine was the only one in the UK! Also bought second hand from an Italian musician, advertised as a D/G with internal mics, and also a bargain...and sounds wonderful. It seems to specialise in Christmas carol concerts, but I'm working on a Welsh music set with our fiddle player....

Cheers,
Guy
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