Daniel Bradbury

Sorry, brain seizure, of course it was John.

I have a very similar J. Pollitts Peerless Anglo, now determined to have been made by George Crabb

Hello Dave, click on his name just above silhouette icon. His home page will come up and you can click on the send a personal message. cheers, Dan

Well done Alan, beautifully played. Things are settling in here in Norwich. We should be moved into our flat within the next week or so. Then I should be able to think about how to see you in Suffolk. regards Daniel

Heavy corduroy trousers, one arm up each leg and the waist folded over around the instrument! Silly, but effective.

After a number of bureaucratic delays, I received my visa today! So we will be relocating to Norwich early April. I look forward meeting many of you over the next year or so.

Hello Jon, You seem to have a good idea of what you would like to play. Now is probably a good time to pick up a few of the instruments and give them a try. Depending on where you are in the UK, there are dealers who will be very helpful as you try out both English and Anglo concertina, to see which feels a more comfortable for you. I am sure many here can make recommendations. Another good bet would be to attend one or more concertina gatherings or festivals, talking with players and dealers that might be attending. Again, I am sure that a number of members here can give you recommendations. Also consider the duet system. You might find it has it's advantages also. Good Luck!

Hello Ro n, Don't think of it as a new method of reading, it is a method of digitally representing the music for efficient digital storage and file transfer. Any ABC file is easily converted to standard notation if you use one of the free ABC programs out there. Easy ABC works quite well, although each of us has our own pet programs. There used to be a wonderful converter here until it became a real problem with spammers and other hackers. Dan

Hello Ron, I agree with Bruce's assessment. The mid-grade instruments will have the basically the same set-up of the Stagi on the two rows with only minor variations. The difference generally lies on the third row. The most common set up choices are the Wheatstone layout and the Jefferies layout. As far as I am concerned the choice between the two layouts is insignificant as far as one being better than the other, more a matter of preference, or in the case of most of us dictated by the instrument we actually purchased. Keep doing your homework. Try to find players in your area and discuss their preferences. Best of all is to attend some workshop where players gather and see the various instruments for yourself. It is a considerable investment, take your time. Daniel

Hello Jim and Al, I should be in Norwich by then. It'd be a pleasure to join you there. Daniel

It looks like one side is hexagonal and the other octagonal.

Hello Rob, Andrew and Mike, I have contact with another member of Squeeze East and it looks exactly like the type of thing I am interested in. I look forward to meeting all of you! To all who have replied, I appreciate the leads. Daniel

Well, at long last I am finally retiring and we are in our final preparations to relocate to England, most likely the end of February. We have decided on Norwich as our retirement location. Some on the forum already know of our plans, but I would love to be in contact with concertina players in East Anglia. Having played Irish, French, and American old-time music on the concertina and banjo for the past 40 years, I am now especially looking forward to exploring the English music tradition while continuing to play the music I know. Any suggestions folks may have will be welcome.

Hello Al, PM me with your emailif you don't mind. Your PM is not accepting messages. Dan Bradbury

Welcome Angie, You won't go wrong with a concertina from Greg. I suggest you don't force yourself to a specific length of daily practice, but strive to play a bit each day as is comfortable. Play as long as is comfortable, but play some every day. You will soon be playing some fine music. Good luck! Daniel