I've poked around a bit on this board and on tina.net, but I haven't really seen much discussion on the topic of different styles of traditional irish concertina playing.
Say, something along the lines of the following for the flute:
http://www.theflow.org.uk/
Is this because there aren't enough distinctive differences in regional playing styles on the concertina? Or just lack of interest?
Thanks.
different styles of concertina playing?
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devilduckie
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s1m0n
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I'm far from a expert, but I gather that the concertina-playing hotspots of pre-revival Ireland were fewer in number than those which had an extant fluting tradition.
As well, older styles played on whistle and pipes transferred, perhaps, more easily to the flute than to a free reed instrument like the concertina.
~~
Finally, how many ways CAN you play a concertina? Doesn't it have a smaller pallet of sounds it can make?
As well, older styles played on whistle and pipes transferred, perhaps, more easily to the flute than to a free reed instrument like the concertina.
~~
Finally, how many ways CAN you play a concertina? Doesn't it have a smaller pallet of sounds it can make?
And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis
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devilduckie
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Thanks for the informative replies.
I'm too new to the concertina to have an intelligent opinion on this subject. (Not that time will necessarily help any.)
There is a fair bit of material available on stylistic differences in Irish fiddle and flute playing.
But it sounds like the concertina may have had too limited a presence in Irish traditional music for much in the way of distinctive regional differences to have developed.
I have read a few brief discussions of this topic that make a distinction generally between older and newer styles of playing. The "older style"--according to the writers--being characterized as slower; less ornamented, and with limited or no cross fingering (A.K.A., playing "in the rows" or "on the rows"). The usual example given is Elizabeth Crotty. The "newer style" seems to be identified with faster playing; more and varied ornamentation, and extensive use of cross fingering. Noel Hill is mentioned as a prime example.
I'm too new to the concertina to have an intelligent opinion on this subject. (Not that time will necessarily help any.)
There is a fair bit of material available on stylistic differences in Irish fiddle and flute playing.
But it sounds like the concertina may have had too limited a presence in Irish traditional music for much in the way of distinctive regional differences to have developed.
I have read a few brief discussions of this topic that make a distinction generally between older and newer styles of playing. The "older style"--according to the writers--being characterized as slower; less ornamented, and with limited or no cross fingering (A.K.A., playing "in the rows" or "on the rows"). The usual example given is Elizabeth Crotty. The "newer style" seems to be identified with faster playing; more and varied ornamentation, and extensive use of cross fingering. Noel Hill is mentioned as a prime example.
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devilduckie
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I stumbled across this interesting extract from Fintan Vallely's book "The Companion to Traditional Irish Music" regarding the concertina.
Vallely identifies four separate older "dialects" of traditional concertina playing, all originating from within County Clare (south-west, mid-west, North and East).
He further makes a distinction between these older dance oriented styles and a newer more performance based "modernist" style.
http://books.google.com/books?id=_xN1VS ... U#PPA85,M1
Vallely identifies four separate older "dialects" of traditional concertina playing, all originating from within County Clare (south-west, mid-west, North and East).
He further makes a distinction between these older dance oriented styles and a newer more performance based "modernist" style.
http://books.google.com/books?id=_xN1VS ... U#PPA85,M1
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ceemonster
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far from having a "smaller pallet of sounds" (perhaps you meant "palette?"..."pallet" is a type of mat or rollbed, i believe), concertina has a much larger array of possible sounds than many a traditional irish melody instrument.
like the piano, and unlike flute or fiddle, a concertina can be "the whole band," playing in addition to the melody, such extras as aggressive hyper-staccato, busy-buzzy bass, fat chords, even counter melodies to some degree----that is, if such is the player's style choice. another instrument that does this to some degree is the pipes, which perhaps may be one reason that discussions of the "modernist" style of heavy ornamental effects often call this "modernist" style "pipes-based." (i have never really understood this, since pipers can and do choose cleaner, less staccatissimo, less heavily ornamented styles according to aesthetic preference.)
this "entire band" capability of the concertina seems to have come more into play with the advent of the post-noel-hill "modernist" players, and given that the instrument does have this capability, it isn't surprising that creative musicians would explore it. however, i think it's a bit regrettable that this more aggressive ornamentation style is becoming something of an orthodoxy in irish concertina-land....cleaner, more melody-friendly styles closer to flute and fiddle on the ornament-to-melody-ratio scale, can be extremely beautiful and can be played to a very high technical standard.....and given as well that the british isles already HAVE a concertina tradition heavy in busy bass effects and fat chords. it is called.....Morris music.
like the piano, and unlike flute or fiddle, a concertina can be "the whole band," playing in addition to the melody, such extras as aggressive hyper-staccato, busy-buzzy bass, fat chords, even counter melodies to some degree----that is, if such is the player's style choice. another instrument that does this to some degree is the pipes, which perhaps may be one reason that discussions of the "modernist" style of heavy ornamental effects often call this "modernist" style "pipes-based." (i have never really understood this, since pipers can and do choose cleaner, less staccatissimo, less heavily ornamented styles according to aesthetic preference.)
this "entire band" capability of the concertina seems to have come more into play with the advent of the post-noel-hill "modernist" players, and given that the instrument does have this capability, it isn't surprising that creative musicians would explore it. however, i think it's a bit regrettable that this more aggressive ornamentation style is becoming something of an orthodoxy in irish concertina-land....cleaner, more melody-friendly styles closer to flute and fiddle on the ornament-to-melody-ratio scale, can be extremely beautiful and can be played to a very high technical standard.....and given as well that the british isles already HAVE a concertina tradition heavy in busy bass effects and fat chords. it is called.....Morris music.