Any Ideas For The Short-Of-Thumb?

[Stonie]

How about that!

[Patrick McMahon]

Maybe a drone isn't suited to a lever. An air lever, for just a quick sharp intake of breath, might be better than something you need to keep pressed.

 

I don't have the technology to draw what I mean, BW77, but if you picture a wooden cube, glued to the hand rest next to your thumb, and with a slot cut out of it for the lever. Then just fit a button (like a melodeon button) to the lever. So it feels like a button, but works from left to right instead of in/out.

[Bruce McCaskey]

Stonie, if that setup works for you then it seems a very practical fix for the problem. Doesn't look bad, and appears to be something that can easily be undone if you decide to sell.

[Stonie]

Bruce - It cost nothing to make, slips on and off the strap so another can play, does no damage to the instrument and doesn't look out of place.. A bonus point is that the pain in my thumb is going!

[Patrick McMahon]

It looks great. If it works well, and last well, I think you've cracked it.

I'm thinking of doing a copy. It it all leather, or is there wood involved?

[Stonie]

Patrick - it is my prototype and could easily be improved upon. It consists of two pieces of leather belt sewn together. To make it stiffer I put a piece of old plastic credit card in between. The underneath leather is cut to make a flap that slips under the strap. It seems to stay in place but it would be just as easy to make an arrangement whereby the strap threaded through it with no flap. Having made it I felt I needed more height so cut up a piece of rubber and taped it over with insulating tape - I told you it's a prototype!!

[Patrick McMahon]

Just saw this Edeophone on ebay with what looks like a factory-made air lever.

It seems to be operated by the left-hand thumb, pushing outwards.

 

Not what you would first think of for a natural action, but it might work better than first impressions.

Seems well made, and has obviously lasted getting on for a century in good condition.

[Geoff Wooff]

Patrick,

 

that looks to be a 'Bowing Valve' . If you search on the forums here you'll probably get chapter and verse on these.

 

Usually one on each side of an EC, operating the bowing valve will allow a small amount of air to escape thus softening the sound of notes in a passage of music... giving a slight extra legato effect... or something like that. The funny thing is that on one side the air will escape only on the push and the other side only on the pull. It was a fashion thing for a while... I don't know if any players today utilise these.

[Patrick McMahon]

i did search, but nothing came up.

That actually doesn't sound like a bad set-up. I often find that when I need to suck in air, I end up doing the opposite.

If you had that kind of one-way valve, you could just operate the left to gain air, and the right to vent some.

More work for a manufacturer, but a nice simple principle for a player.

Probably more attractive to non-expert players like me. You wouldn't think a good player would have any problem controlling the air on a good concertina.