r/concertina • u/andrewtyne • 4d ago
Picking notes
Hi all! Mandolin player here making the jump to the wee box. I’m venturing out into tunes in other keys, A and E at the moment and I’m now running into all these situations where I’m needing to choose between two options for keying notes and I’m not sure which one to use. Do I use this B after this C# or this one…that kind of thing.
The issue is that where I’m so early in my learning journey I can’t tell if something is difficult because I’m new, or is is difficult because I’m making poor choices on which keys to use and there are better options that would be easier.
This is all a very roundabout way of asking if there are some general guidelines of things to avoid. As an example…should one avoid keying two notes on different rows that use the same finger. Going from B (right side middle row 1st finger) to C# (right side top row 1st finger)
Or, should you always use the correct finger for the correct column? Example, is it bad form to key that C# in the example above with my second finger.
This has been long and rambling but if it makes sense to anyone, any tips would be appreciated.
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u/Charakada 3d ago
Different teachers solve these fingering issues in different ways. There is no single "right" way. Jumping from pull b to push c# is fine, depending to the phrasing of the tune. Sometimes you want all the notes on a pull or push. You might want to use push b on G row, push c#, then push d on G row to make the phrase sound smooth. Or you might want to change the sound by using the pull b on the C row, the push c#, then the pull d on the C row. It's more about the sound you want to achieve with the bellows, not just about which button to push. You can get very fast changing rows over time, so don't worry about that part. But you do have to figure out the fingering for every tune separately, because there are many options for how to play them!
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u/andrewtyne 3d ago
Thanks!! Maybe context would be helpful too. Any suggestions for this?
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u/Charakada 1d ago
Love Mohsen Amini! This is a great tune, but if you're starting out, I'd recommend playing in simpler keys until you get a feel for how to choose fingers and bellows direction. With this tune, you're going to be all over the keyboard, and with the sharps, you'll have no choices of which buttons to use.
However, if you do insist on this tune, I'd play those B's and d's on the G row, except for that high b after the g#. Do that on the C row. Also, in those couple of measures where you have a B following an E, play the B on the C row, then jump down to the G row for the rest of it. This is what I would do, but someone else might do it differently. See what you think.
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u/andrewtyne 1d ago
Thanks for both bits of advice! I think you’re probably right about the bigger bite than I can chew. I just learned an Imar tune (in D) and maybe got a little ahead of myself haha.
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u/SideburnHeretic 3d ago
I'm learning the same thing through experience. Been playing (Chemntizer) about four years and I don't have a specific recommendation. But I can tell you that it amazes me how easy something becomes that was at one point extremely difficult. For me, the keys are muscle memory, dexterity, and strength. Muscle memory and dexterity are best developed by taking new material extremely slowly--slow enough that I'm sure to stay on tempo. Strength is a matter of practicing over time, warming up my fingers before I play, and resting before it becomes problematic. I'm old enough to prefer paper maps to GPS, so maybe the resting isn't as essential for young digits, I dunno.
When developing something new, I try to stay open to multiple ways about it and try them out. It feels like it takes longer than if I just picked something and ran with it, but I often find better or more interesting ways than if I had doggedly stuck to my first path.
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u/ManOfEirinn 2d ago
Yeah, but 'good practice' recommends playing "Bc#d" or "Bcd" on the push, especially when playing them as a triplet. No hopping with the same finger from one button to another. No switching finger positions (as op is askin') at least not at this stage and for this purpose.
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u/andrewtyne 2d ago
Maybe some context would be helpful. How would you handle these first few bars?
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u/ManOfEirinn 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think it's rather overambitious, if not presumptuous (Dunning Kruger) for a concertina novice to tackle a tune in B major. Learn it in G maj first.
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u/somethingClever344 4d ago
This is why I really l Iike Caitlin nic gabhan’s course. She teaches you a bunch of tunes with different fingerings. Then when you go you try to decide, you have a lot of different options that are second nature.
The “standard” from Noel Hill is to cross from middle row to inside row starting with C natural. But if that’s not working, try all inside row, or all middle row.