Dave Mallinson the Cleckheaton based music, melodeon player and traditional book publisher has just published his CD to accompany the book 100 Enduring Irish Session Tunes. This is what he has to say……..

I very much hope it gives you enjoyment and helps you to acquaint yourself with traditional music. Its purpose is to allow you to become familiar with a tune before you learn it .

Having both the music and the soundtrack is a great way of learning tunes and is proving extremely popular. In response to this, perhaps rather foolishly, I took it upon myself to record the thousand tunes in my session books, a daunting undertaking. It became immediately apparent that a serious compromise had to be made, I had to be satisfied with a product my musical abilities could achieve. I couldn’t spend the rest of my days trying to achieve perfection before going into the studio, and only so much time and money could be devoted to each recording. Striking a realistic balance between musical excellence and a reasonable timescale had to be strictly adhered to. “Just good enough, is just good enough” has had to be my motto. So, unfortunately I can’t promise you mind blowing music. However, I hope you will find that the tunes are played simply, clearly and they are exactly as written in the book.

Rather than playing the tunes myself, I could have chosen the usual route taken by other publishers who produce similar items, and “bought it in”. I could have paid highly skilled traditional musicians to play some wonderful music and completed the project much cheaper in a fraction of the time. Needless to say, I decided against the easy way out. Yes, I’ll agree, I want the personal satisfaction but there’s more to it. Doing it myself gives me the control of keeping the settings exactly as written, and more importantly, I feel it helps to foster a closer relationship between myself and my customers, something I have always strived for. I am unable to blame anyone but myself for any imperfections found on this CD and its a c c o mpanying book, but at least I can say “It’s all my own work”.

Released in the UK last weekend the FR-3 is Roland’s latest offering to the accordion world. Joining the two previous models, the FR-3 is intended as the entry level model and I was lucky enough to try one of the first to arrive in the country.

The FR-3 comes in two different guises, the FR-3 and the FR-3s, the only difference being integrated speakers on the ’s’ model. Weighing in at only 7.5kg (the speakers add about 0.7kg) the instrument is a much more manageable size, feeling comparable to my acoustic 72-bass accordion. It is however a 120-bass with a nearly full size right-hand (f-f) and a fully integrated free-bass keyboard. Built in sounds of ten different accordions, from classical to Tex-Mex, each with ten registers means you have plenty of choice particularly as you can tweak further with the level of de-tuning or musette. On top of this you can also select from ten ‘orchestral’ sounds for the right hand and 21 for the left, seven for the bass notes, seven for the chords and seven for the free-bass keyboard.

As with all new developments many people are rightly sceptical about the needs for an electronic copy of an acoustic instrument but I think it is important to look past these concerns. The development of the electric and electro-acoustic guitar changed the face of music and maybe it’s the accordion’s turn now! Roland has made amazingly good representations of the 10 different accordions and I defy you to tell them from the real thing when recorded. Indeed I recently did some work for ABC television in America and was amazed at how well the V-accordion sounded in the French sounding tracks I recorded. You can modify the sounds to your specifications, even choosing the amount of key noise and valve ‘growl’! Combined with the line level jack outputs you are guaranteed a quality sound without concerns of microphone placement, feedback etc. I am however disappointed with the sound of the speakers on the FR-3s, with only one cone a side and no tweeter I would have to describe the sound as suitable for practice purposes only and not for performance. If the choice was mine therefore I would go for the base level FR-3 and buy an amplifier to go with it, either one of Roland’s renowned KC series of keyboard amps or my favourite amp from AER the compact mobile 2. This combination works amazingly well giving you a large solid sound, full of crisp detail and texture.

The other question to consider therefore is how the instrument feels to play. As you might imagine it cannot feel exactly like an acoustic instrument, but Roland has made good progress and I found I was able to play it the whole weekend without problems. The keyboard takes a little getting used to as it is capable of more than a normal one, with full midi touch sensitivity. This means you can play as an accordionist but also as a keyboard player, triggering sound modules, samplers etc. The left hand keys are a pleasure to use, you don’t have to move any physical mechanisms so you find it light and responsive. Perhaps the most controversial area is the bellows control, both the instrument’s strength and weakness. I always stated that I would never use a midi accordion unless you could ‘express’ properly, controlling every aspect of the sound as I can on my normal accordion. Thanks to Roland this is finally possible with their highly responsive pressure sensor able to detect the finest nuances of touch, vibrato and articulation. When playing a non-accordion sound like a wind or string instrument you are able to play wonderfully realistically expressing just as a wind player would. Take it further and play electronic sounds, maybe an electronic lead or soft synth pad, you can control the sound better than any keyboard. The down-side is that you have to really adjust your style of playing; it just doesn’t ‘feel’ the same! When playing a normal accordion the airflow changes depending on the number of notes you use, how many reeds you use etc and we all learn to adjust and control these changes. On the Roland it makes no difference is you play one note or ten, the bellows move at the same pace. Although there is really nothing wrong with this, in fact you could even say it’s better, it takes quite a while to adjust to it with many people complaining of feeling tired as they fight to pull harder than needed, in fact when I was first given an accordion by Roland last year it took me a week of playing before I felt comfortable! On the new FR-3 Roland have added a valve to allow you to choose how much airflow is allowed and this has definitely helped, but I still think you need to give yourself an adjustment period when first playing a V-Accordion.

So to conclude I think this is the best V-Accordion to date. It is light enough to playing standing up and will become an integral part of my tool kit. I would still like to see more electronic or synth-like sounds in the instrument, I think some nice pads would be of more use than sounding like a trombone but you can always add a sound module to your rig. As with all accordion manufacturers Roland has made the mistake of thinking small/light means child/student and I would have preferred better straps and perhaps integrated batteries but these are only minor gripes. At a price of only £1499 for the FR-3 and £1799 for the FR-3s Roland has priced these instruments very competitively and I am sure they will be appearing on the scene very soon.

Murray Grainger

This last weekend I spent at the accordion festival in Scarborough and what a pleasure it was to see so many old friends! It’s amazing how easy it is to lose contact with people when we are all living such busy hectic lives so it was a real pleasure to have some time to catch up.

The weekend consisted of both competitions and two concerts on the Friday and the Saturday. Although it is pleasing to see so many people playing for the competitions I was a little concerned at how little performance was going on. Surely the point of playing an instrument is to play together and to make music, rather than always competing against each other. I appreciate that competitions give good focus and a goal to someone learning an instrument but I have to say it felt as if the competitions had become the only reason this weekend. I would be very curious to know what you think!

Another concern was the number of inappropriate accordions people seem to be playing. Large, heavy instruments, sometimes with 5 banks of reeds and innumerable registers, combined with 120 bass buttons these instruments do of course have their place and as such there is nothing wrong with them. However as I noticed that most people used at most two or three registers and about a third of the left hand keys I have to ask why they are carrying all the extra baggage around?! The extra weight and size can only restrict your playing and can even make playing uncomfortable. My main accordion is a 72 bass instrument and I have to say I have never run out of options! If you are looking for a change of instrument I strongly suggest you consider what you need very carefully before saddling yourself with one of these huge millstones! Feel free to ask me for advice, and of course let me know your opinion as well!

One of the reasons I was at the festival was to demonstrate the range of accordions made by Roland, namely the V-Accordion. These innovative instruments are entirely digital, not a reed in sight! I will post a full review of them in the near future but we were lucky to receive the new FR-3, Roland’s latest model. This entry level 120 bass instrument is both smaller and lighter than the previous two models and feels roughly similar to my Pigini P36-3, a 72 bass accordion! The FR-3 contains the sounds of 10 accordions, ranging from classical through Italian and French accordions to Cajun and Tex-Mex sounds. On top of this you can also play as a harmonica or even a trombone! Definitely worth a look for all modern players, come and see it at The Music Room now!

A huge highlight for me was the discovery of the best portable amplifier for accordions, both acoustic and digital. The AER Compact Mobile 2 is a 60watt amp that is both mains and battery powered! This makes it one of the most flexible units I have found, but that is just the icing on the cake. What makes this amp my amp of choice is the sound. Any accordion sounds wonderfully crisp and clear, powerful yet full of detail and the amp doesn’t add its own colour as others do. Combined with its portability this amp is ideal for all times you might need to amplify your accordion, whether it is to accompany dancers, playing at a party or as your own personal monitor on stage. A great amp and I highly recommend it!

Well that’s all for now but let me know what you think! Were you at the festival? If so what did you think of the concerts? Was there enough for you to watch? Did you enter the competitions? Will you be going next year? I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Since these pages were updated business has continued to be encouragingly brisk up in the Concertina Gallery. There’s a continuing growth and resurgence of interest in concertinas - and, from information and discussions elsewhere, I’m pleased to report that this “concertina renaissance” is not just confined to Cleckheaton, or even the UK, but seems to be an international trend! So – there you are folks – concertinas are on the way to being the chosen instrument for the 21st century!

Frequently, instruments from Marcus and Morse are pre-sold to customers before they reach us. It seems that several people are now well on the way to “concertina addiction” – players will know that feeling – the urge to just take a peep and perhaps buy that new instrument which will offer a little something else…which is why so many people seem to end up with a little “family” of instruments. Demand continues to grow – with more people looking at playing baritone as well as treble instruments.

In addition to our baritone English concertinas (Morse, Marcus and the JACK), we’re now able to offer a BARITONE ANGLO – made in Wales, by Marcus. This is a very exciting development – please contact me if you’d like more details. The baritone range is good for accompaniment, or part playing, and those deep resonant tones really sends a shiver down the spine – lovely! We offer a wide range of books, and instruments, suitable for all levels from novice to advanced, and have gig bags and hard cases available either off the peg or custom made to safeguard your investment.

These photos show the “twin” of my own scarlet Marcus – with lacewood ends (mine are metal, on lacewood) and 7 fold scarlet bellows – with our standard English Marcus on the right beside it, with 6 fold black bellows and wooden ends.

Some of you may have seen the Marcus Concertinas featured in BBC 2’s TV “Flog It!” programme recently – the stunning scarlet bellowed, metal ended English treble in the programme is the one made especially for me. It’s really very striking, and is playing in beautifully, since its arrival in September - the reeds are settling in well, and the bellows softening. It’s a joy both to look at and play. It was certainly a star attraction last weekend when I took part in the “4ème Ronde Européenne de Géants Portés” at Steenvoorde in France with fellow members of the Sheffield City Giants (see our webpages at www.sheffieldcitygiants.org.uk for details of us!). The three English concertinas in our band are all from The Music Room – my own Marcus, my husband Mike playing my Morse Albion treble, and Anita Carr playing a JACK baritone! The streets were packed with crowds of over 55,000 watching the Sunday procession, featuring Giants from around the world (as far afield as Brazil and Burkina Faso) but the only concertinas being those in our band!

New and fledgling concertina players come in all sizes and shapes – and all ages – from junior school to the long retired – proving that the concertina can open the gateway to musical enjoyment at any stage in life. Its portability is a huge bonus – there aren’t many instruments so small yet packing such a sound and volume (yet small enough to hide under a table if you’re perhaps feeling a little coy!).

Sadly, Reuben Shaw, one of the foremost Duet Concertina players, died on 15th December at the grand old age of 92. His funeral, on a bitterly cold day, was very moving and in a packed church (where he’d formerly been Verger – the well kept grounds being a testament to this ) – the importance of the concertina to Reuben was emphasised. I’d last seen him two months before, when, although frail, he came along to the Nottingham Concertina group meeting and enjoyed listening – he was also quite clearly interested in seeing and hearing my scarlet bellowed Marcus English Treble! Reuben will be greatly missed, he’d been a mentor and inspiration to so many over his long and fruitful life.

Although it’s farewell to one of the older generation, there are many younger players learning the instrument – a trend which looks set to continue. If you’d like any help or advice on concertinas, please contact me any time – I’m always happy to help.

I’m hoping to meet many concertina players over the summer months – and will be at several festivals – including Holmfirth Festival of Folk this coming weekend.

Gill Noppen-Spacie, 3.5.06

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