Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?

Subject: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: GUEST,Helen
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 07:43 AM

Hello everyone,

I've been playing a 30 button english concertina for a little while now, & would like to try to expand my 'repertoire' from folk songs into classical music.

There aren't any sheet music shops around here so I'll be buying sight unseen - errors could prove expensive.

I'm looking at obtaining music written for conertinas, but would like to widen the opportunities by using music arranged for any instrument with a comparable range.

My concertina goes from G to C    2 & a bit octaves higher, so if I was looking at arrangements of say The Peer Gynt suite what instrument might work ?

If necessary I can transpose, or convert from baritone clef - but it would be nice not to have to !

I strongly suspect anything for piano would tend to have a very wide range - and probably too many notes to play at one time on a concertina.

I'd be grateful for any suggestions & experiences.

Thank you

Helen

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 08:07 AM

That G to C (2 and a bit octaves) range is very close to the range of a fiddle, which runs from G to B(before you go above first position). So if you are interested in folk tunes(as opposed to songs) any fiddle music is ideal: because 99% of folk tunes dont go beyond first position (or "going up the neck").
Classical fiddle music needs checking over carefully, because it may well go higher. So I would recommend getting a book of easy, well-known classical pieces for fiddle, and you should find a good percentage will be just what you are looking for; discard any pieces that have too big a range(or rearrange them).

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: manitas_at_work
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 08:18 AM

Bearing in mind that the concertina was meant as a mechanical replacement for the violin (as if!) I fully agree with Greg. Music for flute, recorder and clarinet should fit the bill. I would recommend going to Foyles and spending an afternoon browsing through the sheet music there, they have lots of tutors and collections of music.

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: curmudgeon
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 08:23 AM

A standard 48 button tenor-treble English concertina has a four octave range - Tom

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 10:31 AM

A saxophone has a four octave range, but virtually no music you're likely to find will use more than the lower two and a half octaves, which would make it a pretty good match to your range. The notated range in common use is from a Bb on the bottom to the F 2.5 octaves up. Few pieces use even this full range.

Quite a number of "classical" pieces have been scored for saxophone, mainly perhaps as contest or recital pieces, so they'd be mostly individual sheet music rather than in convenient collections. A good "academic" music shop that caters to teachers and students should be able to show you samples.

Most competition and recital music comes with a piano accompaniment, so it would already be transposed for you, and would fill in any chords you might want (with a bit of interpreting).

Since the sax can only play one note at a time, the music scored for it tends to be a bit simpler than stuff scored for fiddles (that can double-string and have all kinds of fancy strokes), and you're unlikely to find much in the way of notated ornamentation beyond an occasional grace note, trill or (rarely) glissando. On the concertina, of course, you could play a duet with yourself...

John

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 11:54 AM

You are in for a treat, Helen. You are in a position to explore the world of classical music on the Internet.

The Internet is simply rife with sites that share classical music. (For example, check The Classical Music Archives.) It's easy to find a famous piece and listen to it. However, if you really want to add the piece to your repertoire, you buy a music-composition program and download the MIDI file. Then you can do all sorts of things to it - change the key, change the octave, move melodies from one staff to another, compose new accompaniment lines, remove parts, and then print the result.

Unfortunately, MIDI files comes in two types - those that people played directly into their computer with a keyboard, and those that people entered as notation. The first group is only good for listening to, as it records all the subtle variations in note length as a confusing mass of dots and wee rests. The second type is what you need. I'm telling you this so you won't get discouraged if you encounter the bad type first in your searches.

This needn't cost a fortune. The program I use (and I use it a lot) is Noteworthy Composer, which only costs $39. I'm not saying it's the best program. However, you can spend forever trying to decide what's the best program.

It takes a while to get competent with a music program, but it has the advantage that your computer is being put to a new and noble use.

If you are interested, get back to us.

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: mandotim
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 12:12 PM

Mandolin would fit very nicely (but I would say that, wouldn't I?)
Tim from Bit on the Side

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: Anglogeezer
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 03:20 PM

Try the Concertina Connection. Their object is to "re-introduce the concertina to classical music".
You'll find them at:-

www.concertinaconnection.com

Jake

Subject: RE: Instruments with 2 1/2 octave range ?
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 19 Oct 05 - 07:06 PM

Well,there's always the guitar