Accordion for English folk music
Mark Farey
of piano accordion to play English folk music? I've been learning accordion
for about four years now and am gravitating towards that genre.
My present instrument is a Marrazza which (I think) is an Excelsior in
disguise. It's pretty big and heavy (about 22+ lbs.) and I find myself
mostly playing the one (musette) register. Also, I'm not very happy with the
left hand, which, despite the size of the instrument, has a mediocre tone.
My preference would be for something much lighter weight and portable while
still providing the best possible sound for this type of music. For example,
the Baldoni Combo I caught my attention at only 10 lbs! Is there any
"standard" in Britain for, say, playing this type of folk music or Morris
music?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Regards to all,
Mark
Ottawa, Canada.
Lester
:-)
--
Lester Bailey
lester...@bigfoot.com
www.grandunionmorris.co.uk
--
"Mark Farey" <ma...@LMGroup.com> wrote in message
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Mark Farey
So a melodeon is a small button accordion, n'est pas? Nevertheless I notice
some Morris teams (sides?) use a PA, but maybe they are frowned upon? If
not, what makes/types are they playing?
Regards,
Mark.
PS - What's a "bagman"? Sounds sinister :-)
"Lester" <lester...@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:9jk6gu$opnnd$1...@ID-34757.news.dfncis.de...
Bretton
"standard" for playing English Folk/Morris music is a diatonic
accordion (i.e. button accordion or melodeon)...usually in the keys of
C/G or D/G. ...no reason you have to follow the standard
though...play whatever you can get your hands on. :)
Jim Lucas
>"Mark Farey" <ma...@LMGroup.com> wrote...
> > Is there any "standard" in Britain for, say,
> > playing this type of folk music or Morris
> > music?
>
> Hi Mark, I'm sure others will chime in on this,
> but I believe the "standard" for playing English
> Folk/Morris music is a diatonic accordion (i.e.
> button accordion or melodeon)...usually in the
> keys of C/G or D/G. ...no reason you have
> to follow the standard though...play whatever
> you can get your hands on. :)
"Standard"??!! I don't think even The Morris Ring declares "standards" on what
instrument to play.
*Most common* type/make/model of accordion used by contemporary Morris sides?
Probably a 2-row pokerwork Hohner "diatonic". Many favor Castagnari, etc., but
I think the pokerworks still have a "traditional" cachet. These days I think
G/D is favored, though when I started dancing C/G's were most common, because
G/D's were hard to get. (Market pressure has since resulted in increased
production of G/D's.)
But really, the *standard* has been to use whatever instrument is available,
though some folks have preferences if the instruments and their players are
available. Concertinas are favored by some, especially anglos. William Kimber
is the legendary figure here. Pipe and tabor is also common, and is said to
have been the instrument(s) of choice before the popularity of that new-fangled
contraption, the fiddle. I think that at least over the last 100 years,
fiddles have been the most common Morris instrument.
Of course, there's been a great deal of innovation since the current Morris
revival began... somewhere between 25 and 40 years ago, I think, depending on
one's perspective. When I started dancing it was unusual -- and considered by
some to be poor form -- to have more than one musician playing at the same
time. Then "massed dancing" became popular, with all the different teams'
musicians playing simultaneously. This led some to suggest that it would be
nice if they all played in the same key. (There were some interesting results
when they didn't, surpisingly not always atrocious.) At least in the US, G/D
melodeons became favored over C/G's (or F/C's) because G and D tended to be the
common keys for both fiddle and tabor pipe, which were still pretty much
calling the shots.
I suspect that piano accordion became a popular Morris instrument because a lot
of folks were forced to take lessons when they were children, so it was a
portable instrument that they already knew how to play. In some cases, it was
still sitting in the closet, so no money had to be spent. Morris music isn't
particularly demanding, so even a mediocre instrument is acceptable, and even a
little 12-bass can handle most of the tunes. (It's also much lighter than a
120-bass.)
I know more than one person who started playing Morris -- and contemporary
contra or country dance music -- on piano accordion, then later took up the
melodeon, and now will use them interchangeably. I also know fiddlers who took
up the melodeon -- though sometimes the PA -- in order to get the louder,
fuller sound. I think the melodeon's popularity for Morris really took off
with the spread of more energetic styles in both the playing and the dancing.
But as I said, there are plenty of PA players on the Morris scene (at least in
the US, and it's not completely isolated from the English scene), playing
anything from a 12-bass to a 120-bass of any brand under the sun, though I
think something between a 48- and a 72-bass is most popular, for the
weight-versatility compromise.
I have also seen various other instruments used on Morris tours, including:
recorder, tin whistle (even though they tend to be rather quiet), silver flute,
viola, electric bass, trumpet (does not mind the rain), snare drum, bass drum,
bagpipes, and soprano sax. Once (1983?) at the Clearwater Revival a ragtag mix
of members from various teams formed a pickup side, and when we went looking
for a volunteer musician we were extremely fortunate to get none other than...
Martin Carthy. On guitar, of course, and it was perfect.
So play whatever instrument -- including whatever kind of accordion -- strikes
your fancy. If you feel a need for someone to lay down authoritarian rules
that you can follow, you're in the wrong game. There are no strict rules, and
many Morrisers would pummel anyone who would try to make any. On the other
hand, if you just want to sound the best you can but feel you don't have the
experience to make an informed decision, impose yourself on various Morris
accordion/melodeon players to see what they play, try their instruments, and
see what kind of sound and feel you can get out of them. When you find one you
like, try to find one like it. You don't need to find *the* right instrument
for the job, as long as you can find *a* right instrument for the job.
Happy squeezing, /Jim Lucas
Mark Farey
Many thanks for a very informative response.
I learnt a lot, plus I got a gentle reminder that folk music is a living
thing and to hell with "standards" :-)
Best regards,
Mark.
Ottawa, Canada.
"Jim Lucas" <j...@danbbs.dk> wrote in message
news:x5n77.551$aN4....@news.get2net.dk...
> "Bretton" <bre...@yahoo.com> wrote ...
> >"Mark Farey" <ma...@LMGroup.com> wrote...
> > > Is there any "standard" in Britain for, say,
> > > playing this type of folk music or Morris
> > > music?
> >
> > Hi Mark, I'm sure others will chime in on this,
> > but I believe the "standard" for playing English
> > Folk/Morris music is a diatonic accordion (i.e.
> > button accordion or melodeon)...usually in the
> > keys of C/G or D/G. ...no reason you have
> > to follow the standard though...play whatever
> > you can get your hands on. :)
>
> "Standard"??!! I don't think even The Morris Ring declares "standards" on
what
> instrument to play.
>
<SNIP TO END>
S Miskoe
acceptable instrument except where Bare Necessities is popular. Laurie Andres
from Seattle plays a Petosa PA for Country Dancing and he's one of the best.
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord, NH USA
Jim Lucas
> It is a very acceptable instrument except where Bare
> Necessities is popular.
Eh? Why should it be UNacceptable where BN is popular? I don't think any of
*them* consider it unacceptable.
> Laurie Andres from Seattle plays a Petosa PA for
> Country Dancing and he's one of the best.
And there are many excellent others.
Mark Farey
Mark.
"S Miskoe" <smi...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010725185359...@ng-fe1.aol.com...
S Miskoe
playing out of Boston, Mass for 20+ years. They have taken the art of
improvisation to new heights and have recorded much of the ECD repertoire.
Flautist Peter Barnes is the author of The Barnes Book of English Country Dance
Music. All the members of the group enjoy accordion music. however, their
style of playing and their instrumentation is often considered the gold
standard. If the perceived gold standard of ECD is flute, piano, violin and
viola, there is no room for an accordion.
Cheers,
Sylvia Miskoe, Concord, NH, USA
Chris Timson
>No one mentioned using an accordion for English Country Dance. It is a very
>acceptable instrument except where Bare Necessities is popular.
Sorry, you've lost me there. Bare Necessities?
Chris
--
Chris Timson Have concertinas, will travel
and For our home pages and for the Concertina FAQ:
Anne Gregson http://www.harbour.demon.co.uk/
"Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls" - John Donne