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Author Topic: Other instruments  (Read 4911 times)

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brianread

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Re: Other instruments
« Reply #40 on: February 03, 2019, 08:02:54 AM »

Recorder at school aged 6, then fiddle which I gave up as my father moaned about the noise  >:(

Guitar at University in the 60s (I can still recognise the chord shapes - very useful in sessions to identify the key and/or just play basses).

Melodeon from 1970, brief encounter with English and Duet concertina then Anglo from the 1980's, but went back to Melodeon in 2005 (and sold the 38 key Jeffries for a big profit)

Whistle in 2010 (mainly to pick up tunes from dots).

Now working on Anglo Concertina again (D/G) in anticipation of being unable to play melodeon at some point in the next 20 years.

PS I forgot a flirtation with a Hammered Dulcimer in the early 1990s
« Last Edit: February 03, 2019, 08:33:48 AM by brianread »
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Brian Read
D/G Oakwood (new model), D/G, C /F, Bb/Eb and E/A Liliputs,
A STREB!!,
2.5 D/G Self made Emmanuel Pariselle, D/G Pokerwork,
and Wolverton Advanced G/D Anglo Concertina and C/G  1937 Wheatstone.
all played "lefty" with mostly an extra air button, except the Concertinas which I play the conventional way round.

Winston Smith

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Re: Other instruments
« Reply #41 on: February 03, 2019, 09:25:14 AM »

Seeing as Stephen's original question has morphed into replies relating our musical history, here's my sorry tale!

From the humble triangle and recorder of infant school to finding a love for singing in junior school, grammar school threw me out of the school choir auditions when I had a cold!
Teenage years brought about an interest in the six string guitar, and was followed by a 4 string banjo (nicely LOUD!) then a Tiny Tim ukulele, performing complete with the falsetto voice, which was very tiring, then a lovely Eko 12 stringer. I'm not sure whether the Lachenal 48 key English concertina came next or the Windsor 5 string zither banjo.

Anyway, along with singing in the Local Methodist Chapel choir, the Windsor, the Lachenal and the Eko turned out to be keepers, but only the concertina was played, occasionally, for the next 40 years, as work, family and the rest of and real life got in the way. I stumbled upon the melodeon after selling the concertina and missing something to squeeze (other than my darling wife!) in the summer of 2015. Following on, there has been a resurgence in trying to sing folk songs, coupled with either a downward spiral of MADness, or a newly found flourish of poorly played music; depending on which angle you look at it from.
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george garside

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Re: Other instruments
« Reply #42 on: February 03, 2019, 10:20:20 AM »

not that its of much interest to anybody my ?musical history started by making     ?horrible noises on a mouthie  while at primary school  .  This must for some reason or another made me like 'free reed' instruments  as did listening to Jimmy Shand and  other great bands on the 'wireless'.  So at around 14 I was given a 120 bass accordion and didn't get very far with it.  One of my mates  then got a hohner double ray BC  and I found that I could play that (after a fashion) intuitively so bought one. The two of us got to the stage where if only one knew a particular tune the other could also play it if we sat facing each other!


Much later after the financial tribulations of marriage and 3 kids  I managed to but a hohner trichord  and that was an absolute revolation after the BC, being playable in keys I didn't know existed.  I then progressed through a gaelic to a 4 voice BCC# Paulo soprani - a lovely box but didn't have the sound of the gaelic  but later bought another Paulo as you do!.  much later I joined a morris side and discovered the DG box   - light , loud  and ideal with enough bass to thump out a good rhythm and still use a 3 voice DG for ceilidh band work because , at 76, the lightness is very helpful.  I do however still play the BC 2 row and a superb ex Brandon McPhee hohner gaelic


george
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Steve C.

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Re: Other instruments
« Reply #43 on: February 03, 2019, 01:07:50 PM »

Pete, annoying concertina details:
I did have an old treble Wheatstone English, which was annoying because I played it so poorly.  Also it was not quite A440.
Which I traded in and eventually got a a G/D Anglo, Wheatstone layout (with G/G drone: thanks Steve FR!) which is also (presently) annoying because I play it so poorly (excuse = beginner)
Particularly annoying to family and pets when played in D (pitch).

As an aside, but certainly related to the OP, one of the charms of melodeon is that, with the basses and chords "built in" even a beginner sounds good (me = beginner)  Not a lot of other instruments are like that.
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