Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[RF Music]

Hi everyone,

I joined Melnet a few years ago but have never really been active on the site. I thought I'd check in and reintroduce myself. I've been playing for about 6 years or so, and am proud to say I have recovered from me MAD phase. I now only own two boxes, a Saltarelle Berry (D/G) and a Saltarelle Laurentides (C#/D/G). I used to play for morris but haven't been with a side for a couple of years.

I'm trying to get more content on my youtube channel and have a few recordings on Soundcloud. Hopefully more content will be coming when I can get used to filming myself (aaarrrgggghhhh! Self-confidence!).

Anyway, hello!

Andy x

[mory]

Hi Andy welcome back  All the Best mory

[richard.fleming]

So how does playing C#/D/G work in  practice? Is it a D/G with a C# row added, or a C#/D with a G row added in case you fnd G difficult on a C#/D; or does it all come together in the end?

[Graham Spencer]

So how does playing C#/D/G work in  practice? Is it a D/G with a C# row added, or a C#/D with a G row added in case you fnd G difficult on a C#/D; or does it all come together in the end?

I did some tuning/revalving work on a Laurentides for one of the other two (that I know of!) melodeon players in Cyprus, and though it was a technically straightforward job I did (as a dyed-in-the-wool 4th-apart player) find  it a bit confusing to play until I sussed that if I ignored the C# row it became fairly normal!  He now wants me to replace some broken buttons on another similarly tuned box, though we only spoke briefly when my band was coming onstage as his was leaving at a gig last weekend.  I don't even know yet what make it is, but if anyone has any suggestions for finding 3 bass buttons that look like Hohner mushroom jobbies but are black (at least they looked black in the stage lights) with a thin pale (gold?) band round the rim of the head I'd be delighted to hear from you.............

Graham

[george garside]

I presume the C# row is there to provide accidentals in both octaves whilst retaining the push- pulliness  on the row playing of a DG box.  Its probably easier to play than is a DG plus a row of assorted odds and sods.  Personaly I cant quite see the point of either  when  a standard 2 row DG  is absolutely  fine for a lot of stuff and for even more with a modicum of faking.

Surely a small BCC#  eg a trichord  would be easier to play  than a C#DG  .

george

[RF Music]

Hi Richard, GPS and George,

I mostly use the C#/D/G as a standard D/G but with three octaves of accidentals. I've found it a lovely system to work with. I've got Bm, Em, A and G on the extra basses so I can use those when I don't have the right notes in the right direction on the treble side. I don't try to play chromatically, mainly because of the basses but you can do some things that would be impossible on 2 1/2 row boxes where you need a full set of octaves on the accidentals (Trollpolska in Em is one of the tunes you can't do on one of those). It also let you play in some keys which would be horrible on a 2 1/2 row, like Dminor.

I was away at the EAC summerschool last year and wrote a tune in Dminor…. Anna Pack tried it on her C/F box and said it would do her head in trying to play it on her 2 1/2 row D/G! You're still limited by what basses you can play but you get a sort-of sparseness which can work really well. I need to do a video of my tune so you can see what I mean.


It's a bit of a bonkers system to work with, but it totally makes sense to my slightly warped playing mind. So much so that I want my next box (yeah, I know...!) to be a B/C/F.


I'm happy to answer any questions on how I use the C#/D/G and I'll post a couple of vids to show what you can do with it.


Cheers!


Andy

[george garside]

Hi Richard, GPS and George,

 


It's a bit of a bonkers system to work with, but it totally makes sense to my slightly warped playing mind. So much so that I want my next box (yeah, I know...!) to be a B/C/F.





Cheers!


Andy

in the eyes of non players and piano box players in particular ALL melodeon systems are bonkers!  - but we know otherwise!

george

[richard.fleming]

I'm unable to resist pointing  out that if you played on the C#/D rows - which in Ireland is generally linked to the  'press and draw style' - the 'push-pulliness George refers to, more or less - you wouldn't need an extra row of accidentals.

[Graham Spencer]

in the eyes of non players and piano box players in particular ALL melodeon systems are bonkers!  - but we know otherwise!

george

Shouldn't that read "all melodeon players" .......?   

[george garside]

I'm unable to resist pointing  out that if you played on the C#/D rows - which in Ireland is generally linked to the  'press and draw style' - the 'push-pulliness George refers to, more or less - you wouldn't need an extra row of accidentals.

I presume players of ITM on C#D boxes only use the push- pulliness for the key of D and play using both rows for any other key ?

george

[rees]

I'm unable to resist pointing  out that if you played on the C#/D rows - which in Ireland is generally linked to the  'press and draw style' - the 'push-pulliness George refers to, more or less - you wouldn't need an extra row of accidentals.

I presume players of ITM on C#D boxes only use the push- pulliness for the key of D and play using both rows for any other key ?

george

Not quite as you have F# and C# on the outside row which can smooth things out considerably.

[RF Music]

I'm unable to resist pointing  out that if you played on the C#/D rows - which in Ireland is generally linked to the  'press and draw style' - the 'push-pulliness George refers to, more or less - you wouldn't need an extra row of accidentals.

I wouldn't need any of the basses either. 

[richard.fleming]

I think the view that BC style is smoother and C#/D more for the press and draw is an oversimplification anyway. Much is in the personal style of the player.