Topic: Debating the plunge to CBA (Read 20964 times)

Martin J · « **Reply #40 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:05:42 PM »

Jack, I think the real nub of the matter is how your brain works. I have tried keyboard and CBA, bought and sold both. Neither suit my brain pattern. My PA and CBA playing friends can't get any reasonable tune out of a melodeon. Yes there are limits to a diatonic but the joys are there too. If you want to play in many keys you either have to learn many patterns on a B/C type diatonic or join the MAD group and have many boxes. I belong firmly in the latter group and love it

xgx · « **Reply #41 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:07:52 PM »

Prefer this version Juker...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qt-ohf6jUo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

juker · « **Reply #42 on:** September 05, 2011, 11:10:42 PM »

ooh yes, I totally agree with you on that! This is one of my fave recordings.

Ollie · « **Reply #43 on:** September 06, 2011, 12:11:32 AM »

Quote from: Anahata on May 03, 2011, 06:23:27 PM

And for the hard of Googling: 17 tons according to Mr Ryall.

HOW MUCH?!

Jeeeesshhh...

Steve_freereeder · « **Reply #44 on:** September 06, 2011, 12:37:50 AM »

Quote from: Ollie on September 06, 2011, 12:11:32 AM

Quote from: Anahata on May 03, 2011, 06:23:27 PM
And for the hard of Googling: 17 tons according to Mr Ryall.

HOW MUCH?! Jeeeesshhh...

My flabber is well and truly gasted

ceemonster · « **Reply #45 on:** September 08, 2011, 11:12:59 AM »

[I'm resistant to shelling out all the cash needed for one of the Salterelle CBAs] well, you wouldn't really need to....the hohner novas are more than responsive enough for dance-based world folk music. i wouldn't say that about bisonorics; with those, one does want hand reeds. but generations of stone-virtuoso pros have done brilliantly at folk music on unisonoric hohners and weltmeisters, PAs and CBAs, and there is a reason for that, which is that they serve extremely well. i don't mean a five-thousand-dollar blue-chip one wouldn't be nice, but it is mind-boggling how lovely and playable my hohner nova ii 60a is, and it cost a grand. yes, one bass button has fallen off. so what. the reeds are german hohner reeds and they feel and sound great, for a grand. i also have a weltmeister 72-bass five-row that i got on ebay as new-old overstock or something, about six years ago for $750, half the then-price of $1500 for that model, which now goes for $2400, and that box too is wonderful. I let it sit in a closet in a case until starting cba in earnest about eighteen months ago.

I do highly recommend going for a four-row over only three. you "can" play lots of stuff on three, but four is brilliant, facilitates french musette, django swing, tango, jazz, all kinds of stuff.

in terms of the push-pull "sound" or "feel," that is just personal preference....i am finding i like the bisonoric feel a lot for less "notey" music, such as polkas and slides, but like the unisonoric a lot for the complex, fluid, flowing "notey" music, such as in irish, the east galway/tipperary composed tunes by paddy fahy, sean ryan, paddy kelly, paddy o'brien, etc.....

Owen Woods · « **Reply #46 on:** September 08, 2011, 11:42:10 AM »

Quote from: ceemonster on September 08, 2011, 11:12:59 AM

i wouldn't say that about bisonorics; with those, one does want hand reeds.

Do you mean hand made? Rubbish

george garside · « **Reply #47 on:** September 08, 2011, 01:32:23 PM »

Quote from: No Strings Attached on September 05, 2011, 11:05:42 PM

either have to learn many patterns on a B/C type diatonic or join the MAD group and have many boxes. I belong firmly in the latter group and love it

the BC type diatonic family includes the BCC# which only requires 5 scales to play 12 major keys. The 3 row continental requies 3 scales but a 5 row continental can manage 12 keys for one set of fingering ( but learning the 3 sets is recommended). On the other hand it would take a great many 4th aprt boxes to cover all 12 keys.

The cjhoice between continental chromatic and so called 'diatonic' boxes is for many down to one si;mple thing. Are you a natural push/pull person! In many years of teaching would be box players I have found that whilst many take very naturally to the push/pull box there are those who never will as long as they have a hole in their backsides.

george

AirTime · « **Reply #48 on:** September 09, 2011, 05:30:25 PM »

Quote

ooh yes, I totally agree with you on that! This is one of my fave recordings.

Moi aussi!

This is one of the clips that convinced me to take up the accordion. Lovely sound.

Randal Scott · « **Reply #49 on:** September 15, 2011, 12:56:49 AM »

I used to beat myself up for not playng CBA. SInce I'm into so mnay different styles of music, I thought the only rational approach is to have one instrument for as much as possible.

Fortunately, none of this is very rational, and I'm finding comfort with so many instruments. Of course, it's easy to say as owner of several good PAs.

I think, if one is startinbg out cold on boxes, a CBA is the way to go. I think the various DBA/concetinas/whatever are like unseemly personlaity traits we acquire over our life span: they're not optimal, but we have some comfort with them..

george garside · « **Reply #50 on:** September 15, 2011, 09:53:51 AM »

In theory the continental chromatic makes a great deal of sense particulary to those with classical training who feel they must play everything exactly as written & on which they can play anything from god save the king to Beethovens moonlight sonata. For someone without any piano keyboard experience it is a very good choice.

On the other hand the majority of 'diatonicists' are into it for the fun of it and a great many of us are either poor or non readers who judge the efficacy of what they are playing by what it sounds like which may or may be not what the composer intended. Similarly the lack of certain notes or the wherewithall to produce obscure chords in the written musicis seen as a matter for experimentation and faking ( there are of course those ( often from a classical bacakground) that torture themselves because they can't play the 'correct' bass chords which is probably because there arent any 'correct' bass chords on tunes composed for fiddle, flute etc.

Of course all of this can be done on a continental or piano box ,and I play both, but the lifelong challenge of the diatonics is for some reason far more satisfying - and they are much more portable & less knackering to play for long periods

george

IanD · « **Reply #51 on:** September 15, 2011, 06:20:02 PM »

Quote from: Anahata on May 03, 2011, 06:23:27 PM

I'd be taking a serious look at This Hohner Nova II if I was in the market.

5 rows, 72 bass.

And for the hard of Googling: 17 tons according to Mr Ryall.

If only it was 1 ton lighter it would be a lot easier to shift :-)

Ian

Owen Woods · « **Reply #52 on:** September 18, 2011, 10:41:07 PM »

Quote from: george garside on September 15, 2011, 09:53:51 AM

In theory the continental chromatic makes a great deal of sense particulary to those with classical training who feel they must play everything exactly as written & on which they can play anything from god save the king to Beethovens moonlight sonata. For someone without any piano keyboard experience it is a very good choice.

Of course not all classically trained people turn to CBAs

I have played the piano since I was 5, trained classically to a relatively high standard but have push and pull running right through me.

george garside · « **Reply #53 on:** September 18, 2011, 10:51:46 PM »

I was only refering to those of a classical disposition who felt they had to play everything exactly as per the dots & not to those with a 'classical' background who are happy to accomodate the idiosyncracies of the sook an blaw box

george

ceemonster · « **Reply #54 on:** September 20, 2011, 06:41:14 AM »

i disagree with many if not most of your generalized premises here, gg.

i have piano background, and have embraced cba like a long-lost relative.

i have ear-learned all of my irish tunes for the last seven or so years, and am experiencing no obstacles to this with cba.

i have no interest in playing classical music, and i think cba is an ideal instrument for world folk music from scandinavian to eastern european, not to mention blues, ragtime, tango, paris musette, and jazz from classic swing and chromatic.....this is true for many, many cba players. they're not all at the conservatory....

george garside · « **Reply #55 on:** September 20, 2011, 10:29:29 AM »

I never intended to infer that the continental box was not suitable for folk/traditional music, continental muisic , jazz or whatever. Indeed I was advocating its efficacy for a wide range of music . In refering to those of a classical disposition I was not refering to 'classical music'in the brahms & Beethoven sense but to those who have learned with the classical approach via exams & grades , some of whom struggle with sook an blaw boxes that may not have all the notes required eg for some right hand chords as written. The fact that I sometimes recommend the continental to those who have no previous piano keyboard background does not infer that it is not recommended for those who do! Indeed for those who do not wish to go up the 'diatonic' route the continental has a lot to offer.

george

ceemonster · « **Reply #56 on:** November 03, 2011, 12:52:15 AM »

i'm thinking, why not drink life's vintage to the fullest and play both. though it does seem that cba is claiming increasing amounts of my attention.

the first link below shows the wonderful cba virtuoso and composer maria kalaniemi playing CBA; the second is a link to her playing diatonic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap-lOUCV3Gk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6uaqFwTM6Q

Owen Woods · « **Reply #57 on:** November 03, 2011, 01:04:54 AM »

Well yes, but not many can manage that! I was going to give it a go, but found CBA a little dull if anything... plus I couldn't get my head around this unisonoric business.

Owen Woods · « **Reply #58 on:** November 03, 2011, 12:06:37 PM »

Quote from: matt vrs on November 03, 2011, 08:16:13 AM

Yeah, to be fair, I am only maintaining the CBA while improving (a bit) on the melodeon, my excuse to myself was that the overall benefits to being a better musician and performer would justify it but I could be kidding myself... And trying to drink life's vintage or even life's pint of mild on both instruments is keeping me up late. Still, for now it's the melodeon. I don't know about one instrument being boring but I do think it's horses for courses, the playing style will be completely different which I think is much more important than what chords you can get etc. Finally if the unisonoric thing is tricky how about the free bass option? (ha ha, can of worms and maybe not suited to a melodeon forum)

I would LOVE a proper free bass box. Seriously.

Owen Woods · « **Reply #59 on:** November 03, 2011, 01:53:04 PM »

I wish! At the moment though, no. I've got another project on the go, which isn't free bass but is close and really don't have any money to spend at the moment

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Author Topic: Debating the plunge to CBA (Read 20964 times)