concertina bellows technique

Subject: concertina bellows technique
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 02:09 AM

an interesting clip from simon thoumire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVUEhUqKEgU&

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 02:12 AM

my comments, are there to be seen, concerning reversal of bellows

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 02:26 AM

The downside of bellows reversal is loss of speed, which is one of the reasons why some irish anglo players, cross row to varying degrees to enable smoothing out bellows reversals,so bellows revrsals is in my experience more problematic with fast reels on the english concertina

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 05:02 AM

Technique is all Thoumire's got - cold and expressionless.

Something I've never heard a concertina player do: bellows shake, as you can do it on an accordion. (Ex-)Soviet classical players do that with unbelievable power, it must take the strength of a weightlifter. Is there something about the design of a concertina that makes it impossible?

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 05:14 AM

you can do it, you can also tap on the knee if you are sitting, i dont normally do either, maybe very occasionally all a question of style i suppose

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: EBarnacle
Date: 19 Dec 18 - 12:05 AM

It creates a rather interesting effect.

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: JHW
Date: 19 Dec 18 - 05:11 AM

Steve Turner has long used the tap on the knee to give a driving effect. I like but maybe thats just me.
Rev Ken Lovelace had treble bellows (to match treble pink gin I guess) They needed almost juggling.

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Dec 18 - 01:17 PM

Dick/Sandman, I absolutely agree concerning reversals and Anglo playing that the common difference between *most* anglo playing and *most* english playing is just THAT : When playing anglo you spontaneously get more rhythmical feeling since you HAVE to reverse bellows a lot more often. Being lazy and playing english you just pull the bellows out till it stops and push it in again until it stops. Often people forget articulation of tone and phrases completely on the route...

Jack Campin, Bellows shake mostly is trickier with concertinas than with accordions since you seldom got the same stability holding the concertina between your hands and the bellows itself being 6,8, or 12 sided instead of 4-sided makes it much floppier.The technique with an accordion is keeping the lower part of the bellows closed and doing the reversals only with the top end of the bellows. There are some accordion players who facilitate this by keeping the lower bellows lock/strap closed to increase stability even more. I use that trick myself almost all the time by having elastic "cross-the-bellows-straps" to stabilize the bellows work and this makes almost all playing a lot easier since pumping is more effective and articulation of tone very much more accurate.
I made some YT clips myself many years ago trying do illustrate it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np_LqPKlJko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt4YpRFxJqA&list=UUGdQYXkECYm5Gr6pHYm2EHg&index=16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8dj_CJNbF8

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: The Sandman
Date: 19 Dec 18 - 02:30 PM

my advice would be to take a fiddle tutor like fr orexample Matt Cranitch, and study marked bowing for slides and polkas these might need to be adapted sliohtly, i find that where three seperate bows might be marked then i would adapt by slurring three in other words changing bellows on first and after third, but by roughly following and approximation of fiddle emphasis can be achieved, more difficult on reels however.

Subject: RE: concertina bellows technique
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 19 Dec 18 - 05:24 PM

My technique for a reed-harp" "technique" is to rest the right elbow on the right knee....the vibration provides tremello that verges on the ghostly.