Excellent article on the anglo concertina, with references to minstrel playing - Minstrel Banjo2024-03-28T11:20:09Zhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/forum/topics/excellent-article-on-the-anglo?commentId=2477478%3AComment%3A38857&feed=yes&xn_auth=noI'd love to hear some of that…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2012-12-12:2477478:Comment:790882012-12-12T17:30:05.063ZDave Culganhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/OlDanTucker
<p>I'd love to hear some of that Bryant as I'm a big fan of free reeds and early banjo, coming at it from a slightly different direction with my Parisian accordeons. Dave PS what key do you play your concertina in?</p>
<p>I'd love to hear some of that Bryant as I'm a big fan of free reeds and early banjo, coming at it from a slightly different direction with my Parisian accordeons. Dave PS what key do you play your concertina in?</p> I am very pleased to find thi…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2012-12-12:2477478:Comment:790852012-12-12T14:47:32.462ZBryant Hendersonhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/BryantHenderson
<p>I am very pleased to find this posting. I stumbled across the concertina.com site several years ago, and I shared it with my Civil War string band, the Huckleberry Brothers. I had the incredible good fortune to be offered a two-row Anglo concertina for only $50 by another reenactor about eight years ago. Although I had never so much as touched one, my thrifty Scottish genes would not allow me to pass up such a bargain. It was something of a revelation to learn just how commonplace the humble…</p>
<p>I am very pleased to find this posting. I stumbled across the concertina.com site several years ago, and I shared it with my Civil War string band, the Huckleberry Brothers. I had the incredible good fortune to be offered a two-row Anglo concertina for only $50 by another reenactor about eight years ago. Although I had never so much as touched one, my thrifty Scottish genes would not allow me to pass up such a bargain. It was something of a revelation to learn just how commonplace the humble anglo was in the 19th century in American music, even mixed in with the traditional ensemble on the minstrel stage. Its happy tone fits in most pleasantly. Since HuckBro Jack Whaley and I live in Chapel Hill, NC, we've played some recently with Mark Weems and Jim Pentecost. We'll try to post some numbers with the anglo concertina soon.</p> In the old days, when a conce…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-14:2477478:Comment:390482011-06-14T17:33:46.220ZDan Worrallhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/DanWorrall
<p>In the old days, when a concertina or one row button accordion was present in a band, the key they played in was C, as that is what those early free reed instruments were keyed to. Although modern concertina players will play in F G D and A on a three row CG Anglo concertina, they play in a completely different style than the early players, and of course the early guys only had two row concertinas with no sharps and flats for the other keys (except for key of C and G).</p>
<p>Some bands in…</p>
<p>In the old days, when a concertina or one row button accordion was present in a band, the key they played in was C, as that is what those early free reed instruments were keyed to. Although modern concertina players will play in F G D and A on a three row CG Anglo concertina, they play in a completely different style than the early players, and of course the early guys only had two row concertinas with no sharps and flats for the other keys (except for key of C and G).</p>
<p>Some bands in remote areas still play that way today. In the Nariel Valley of Australia, a band there that has existed in an unbroken link back to the late 19th century, they play most of their tunes in C....and their band has multiple concertinas and one row accordions. There is a link to them in an Australian photo essay I posted on my website, <a href="http://www.angloconcertina.org">www.angloconcertina.org</a>. By the way, the Nariel band still play a goodly number of old minstrel instrumental numbers for their dances....Stephen Foster songs; Old Black Joe; Old Dan Tucker; Buffalo Gals; and sentimental songs. The minstrel shows were a bit like the global hip-hop of the nineteenth century, in all the English speaking countries.</p> Well, I have some good news.…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-14:2477478:Comment:388722011-06-14T06:10:40.017ZRob MacKillophttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/RobMacKillop
Well, I have some good news. Stuart Eydmann has been in touch, a well known concertina player and academic in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We hope to meet soon.
Well, I have some good news. Stuart Eydmann has been in touch, a well known concertina player and academic in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We hope to meet soon. I've been fooling around with…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-13:2477478:Comment:383912011-06-13T12:31:59.574ZDave Culganhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/OlDanTucker
<p>I've been fooling around with an old French accordeon, with its single brass reeds it sounds more like a concertina than a later German melodeon. Its in the key of C and so the banjo would have to be tuned down another whole step to play along. Single notes are not very loud but the diatonic layout lends itself well to playing harmony notes. I played along with a small guitar and rhythm bones and thought the sound balance about right. I didn't really care for the sound when played with…</p>
<p>I've been fooling around with an old French accordeon, with its single brass reeds it sounds more like a concertina than a later German melodeon. Its in the key of C and so the banjo would have to be tuned down another whole step to play along. Single notes are not very loud but the diatonic layout lends itself well to playing harmony notes. I played along with a small guitar and rhythm bones and thought the sound balance about right. I didn't really care for the sound when played with fiddle. Since its almost a fully chromatic instrument I could technically play in other keys but again with the diatonic layout and drones it really wants to play in C. Dave Culgan</p> Ian said: Of course this begs…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-13:2477478:Comment:388652011-06-13T06:28:27.111ZRob MacKillophttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/RobMacKillop
<p>Ian said: Of course this begs the question - "What keys were they playing in?" You can't retune a concertina at a barn dance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>True. But you could capo a banjo. Buckley mentions the use of a capo in his 1860 Method, although he also encourages the installation of wire frets, i.e. raised, not flush. Capos don't work so well on fretless banjos.</p>
<p>Ian said: Of course this begs the question - "What keys were they playing in?" You can't retune a concertina at a barn dance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>True. But you could capo a banjo. Buckley mentions the use of a capo in his 1860 Method, although he also encourages the installation of wire frets, i.e. raised, not flush. Capos don't work so well on fretless banjos.</p> Hi Dan,
Nice to see you her…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-13:2477478:Comment:389462011-06-13T06:00:39.599ZRob MacKillophttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/RobMacKillop
<p>Hi Dan,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nice to see you here! I really enjoyed reading your article, and will get the book you mention. 99 per cent of the members here live in the States, and as it is a small country, you should find a player near you :-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rob</p>
<p>Hi Dan,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nice to see you here! I really enjoyed reading your article, and will get the book you mention. 99 per cent of the members here live in the States, and as it is a small country, you should find a player near you :-)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rob</p> Glad you folks liked my conce…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-13:2477478:Comment:387482011-06-13T03:56:19.575ZDan Worrallhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/DanWorrall
<p>Glad you folks liked my concertina article. I got so interested in that topic that I researched it farther...and wrote a book (The Anglo-German Concertina, a Social History; Amazon books; described at <a href="http://www.angloconcertina.org">www.angloconcertina.org</a>). The minstrels were of course enormously popular abroad, and I have many stories and photos in my book of concertinas and banjos playing minstrel music together in England, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, and of course the…</p>
<p>Glad you folks liked my concertina article. I got so interested in that topic that I researched it farther...and wrote a book (The Anglo-German Concertina, a Social History; Amazon books; described at <a href="http://www.angloconcertina.org">www.angloconcertina.org</a>). The minstrels were of course enormously popular abroad, and I have many stories and photos in my book of concertinas and banjos playing minstrel music together in England, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, and of course the USA. I play a version of Old Dan Tucker collected from a concertina player in Australia, a version of the minstrel tune Getting Upstairs from an old recording of a concertina player in England; and some Irish sentimental songs written for the minstrels as played in South Africa.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm in Houson; anyone play minstrel banjo there? I've got some friends who play such old time American music here, but we can never find a banjo player around here for anything but bluegrass music.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You have a nice website here!</p>
<p><br/><br/><cite>Rob MacKillop said:</cite></p>
<blockquote><div>Interesting, Ian. I really would like to get together with a concertina player. There must be one around here somewhere...</div>
</blockquote> You would be welcome :-) Than…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-12:2477478:Comment:389452011-06-12T18:09:10.417ZRob MacKillophttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/RobMacKillop
You would be welcome :-) Thanks for the link. Very interesting!
You would be welcome :-) Thanks for the link. Very interesting! Look what I found - http://en…tag:minstrelbanjo.ning.com,2011-06-12:2477478:Comment:388612011-06-12T18:06:08.285ZIan Bellhttp://minstrelbanjo.ning.com/profile/IanBell
<p>Look what I found - <a href="http://englishconcertina.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=anglo&action=print&thread=11">http://englishconcertina.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=anglo&action=print&thread=11</a></p>
<p>The "Anglo Concertina Players In Scotland"website! You may already know some of these folks. If not I may just have come for a visit sometime.</p>
<blockquote><div>Interesting, Ian. I really would like to get together with a concertina player. There must be one around…</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Look what I found - <a href="http://englishconcertina.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=anglo&action=print&thread=11">http://englishconcertina.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=anglo&action=print&thread=11</a></p>
<p>The "Anglo Concertina Players In Scotland"website! You may already know some of these folks. If not I may just have come for a visit sometime.</p>
<blockquote><div>Interesting, Ian. I really would like to get together with a concertina player. There must be one around here somewhere...</div>
</blockquote>