Button, Button, What Size Your Button?

[JimLucas]

I believe the most common button sizes on "vintage" instruments are 4-5mm for Englishes, and 5-6mm for anglos, though as you may have read elsewhere, there are exceptions.

 

Obvioulsy, there are many factors I'm not even trying to take into account here, and if the results don't show clustering, they may considered meaningless. But if they do show clustering... who knows what "conclusions" we can argue about?

 

E.g., it would be great if one could have results for multiple independent factors, such as:

..1) What was the diameter of the buttons on your first concertina?

..2) What is the diameter of the buttons on you current "main squeeze" (of the concertina sort)?

..3) If you could choose, what size buttons would your concertina have? (That's the one question we're asking hre.)

..4) If you could choose both button size and interbutton spacing, what shortest-distance interbutton spacing would your concertina have?

..5) Do you play a. English, b. anglo, c. duet, d. more than one of these three?

 

Then we could test whether, e.g., English and anglo players have different size preferences, or whether preferred size correlates with either first-instrument or current-instrument button size. Etc. But we can't. Not here.

 

(Inch equivalents, by the way are approximate, but off by les than ½mm.)

[AlexCJones]

I found a more appropriate thread for this post

Edited December 10, 2003 by AlexCJones

[goran rahm]

Jim,

Any thoughts about when you will close up or sum up the poll?

There are few respondants and of course it would be interesting with some more, but I fear the results are not very informative anyhow and likely they most of all reflect what the respondants are familiar with... namely the really existing measures. It certainly is more difficult to choose imaginary alternatives and generally speaking few players have the necessary experience from completely different squeezeboxes to give them a chance balancing the judgement. Habit has strong influence on opinion...this is something we know form many fields. What do you believe Bandoneon players would reply to a similar question?

 

If you could recruit more respondants...at least a hundred or so...and present some of the additional information you hinted at yourself... along with maybe some specific outlines of reformed keyboards possibly a little bit more useful information could be achieved...but like I have said before there are so many individual and circumstantial matters involved in *music performance* that only long time practical trials can give substantial information on the practical outcome.

 

This does not contradict the relevance of basic physical and physiological conditions and their influence on the matter and it is my belief that greater awareness and understanding of such involved factors is a necessary fundament for any possible change of tradition to take place.

 

The alternative ( as always...) simply is that any idolized star performer uses a novelty instrument or technique and then the majority follows the footsteps without any consideration at all....:-)

 

Athletic competition games are easier....results are measurable....look at the 'Fosbury flop' in high jump....

 

Goran Rahm

 

 

 

Goran