The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #69631   Message #1221831
Posted By: JWB
08-Jul-04 - 10:02 PM
Thread Name: Concertina
Subject: RE: Concertina
Zhenya,

I'd like to add to the case for singing to the Anglo. I've been accompanying song with a C/G Anglo for 25 years, and though I've gotten to the point of being able to do a lot of what I want, I'm still discovering new capabilities all the time.

I accompany songs in these keys on my Anglo: C, G, D, F, Dm, Am, and Cm. I'm working on Bb and A. I find the trick is adapting the accompaniment to the key; in most of the keys I can play chords on the left hand and melody on the right. But for some of the more esoteric keys I use a melodic or harmonic line instead of chords.

The Anglo is pretty versatile, and once I learned to use all 33 buttons on my box I was able to produce a broad range of chords and notes (in fact, I use many of the same notes that Beethoven did :0) sorry, got carried away there). I can play in the "English style" -- chords on the left, melody on the right and the "Irish style" -- straight, smooth, rapid melody. So I have a choice of the bouncy in-out in-out feel of a diatonic instrument as well as the long legato passages (within reason, of course) one can achieve on the English concertina.

So for my lights it's Anglo all the way.

Comprimere in aeternum,

Jerry