Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz

Subject: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: GUEST,CarolC
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 06:40 PM

Miss posted to wrong thread - sorry.

Maybe you can help me with a little problem I'm having. Whenever I play Kate Martyn's Waltz, I find that in the B part, the fingers of my right hand (the keyboard side) get cramped up, and I have difficulty stretching them out enough to play the notes correctly. Maybe it's a carpal tunnel problem. I don't know. It never used to happen, but these days I find I can't play that waltz any more because of it.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: CarolC
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 06:43 PM

Hey! I'm magic! I posted as a GUEST, and I didn't even know it! Wow... I'm better than I thought.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: GUEST,CarolC
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 06:45 PM

It happens when you drink too much.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: CarolC
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 06:48 PM

You know, I could get used to this talking to myself thing. Beats talking to the spiders. Nothing wrong with spiders, mind you. It's just that they don't say much back.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: Sorcha
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 08:28 PM

LOL! Carol, I can't help. I don't know Kate Martyn's Waltz, and I don't play accordian..........sorry. Also, who is Miss Posted? Do I know her?

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: CarolC
Date: 19 Oct 01 - 10:13 PM

Thanks Sorcha.

Actually, it's just the pinky and ring fingers of my right hand. I tried playing Kate Martyn's today and it happened again. And it's only on two particular passages that this happens. And not on any other songs, either. Tis a funny thing.

And now, my E, Em, and E7 on the bass side are sticking. (sigh)

As far as who Miss Posted is, you'll have to ask the ghostie-ghoulie who started this thread, cause I haven't a clue.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 01:17 AM

Carol, what are the actual notes? I do understand a keyboard and intervals. It may have something to do with the intervals. The same tendon controls both the ring and pinkie finger. There are tunes that do this to me where there is a series of a/b a/b in the upper register. Fingering would be 3-4 3-4 for me, and 4-5 for you. The A part of Blackberry Blossoms is bad about this.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 03:23 AM

I was wrong about the ring finger. It happens on a triplet consisting of D, E, and G. The fingers involved are 2, 3, and 5 (assuming that the thumb = 1, and the pinky = 5). The problem finger is the pinky, for the most part, although the middle finger feels awkward in that triplet.

You might like Kate Martyn's Waltz, Sorcha. I understand it's a recent Scottish composition. It's probably really nice on the fiddle. If I ever get my scanner working, would you like me to send it to you?

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: Sorcha
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 04:21 AM

Yes, please. And perhaps then I can figure out what is happening with your fingers. On fiddle, and I assume keyboard, the 3-5 (middle/pinkie) combo can be deadly. It hurts to even try it "naked", as it were.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: CarolC
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 04:40 AM

Ok. Great. I need to order a new power cord for my scanner. I'll get back to you when it's up and running.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: GUEST,shona
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 12:24 PM

Kate Martins waltz was written recently by the accordianist Blair Douglas. I only know this because he is the accordian teacher at my school!

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 20 Oct 01 - 02:12 PM

Send him our collective admiration, Shona, it is a belting tune. I harvested it from that Ian Lowthian, good man himself, who I think robbed it from Blair drekly (as they say in Kernow), I sent it to my mate Carol in West Virginia, and here we are.

Carol, what you write is telling. It is a wide spread of the digits, as the notes after are back down the keyboard. I'm afraid my answer ain't cheap, or disgusting. In short, you need a ladies box! There will be an element of relearning the spaces, but that is really the only way to overcome a diminuitive hand charging about a whopper keyboard.

Sorry to hear about your sticky valves. PM me with stuff about them and I'll see if I can help.

On no account stop playing this tune!

Skipjack

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: CarolC
Date: 22 Oct 01 - 04:41 PM

Hey Skipjack! Have your ears been burning the last couple of days? I've been bragging about you being my accordion teacher (and a great one, at that) to anyone who would listen at the FSGW Getaway. Micca was pretty impressed that I have an accordion teacher in the UK, and that it's you.

I'm posting from the Mudcat Dungeons deep below the streets of West Chester PA (USA... I think), and feeling pretty brain dead from lack of sleep and too much fun at the Getaway. I'll send you a PM when I get back home.

Believe it or not, the box I'm playing on (the Crucianelli that's tuned for Polkas) is two sizes down from full size. Would that be a ladies size box, or a child's size box? I've been wondering if maybe the keys are just a little too close together. I've been experimenting with using different fingers to see if it helps. It seems to help some, but I have to relearn the piece with the new fingering.

GUEST,shona, I'm incredibly jealous that you have an accordion teacher at your school. And one who can write such charmingly beautiful pieces of music. As Skipjack said, please send our collective admiration.

Subject: RE: Help re: Kate Martyn's Waltz
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 23 Oct 01 - 06:36 AM

I hope you had a good Gotaway, Cags, but you probably had to sit through those rude songs Micca does.'The hash my father scored' is my favourite.

We'll talk eclectic accordion stuff in PMs.

Skipjack