23 replies to this topic

[Chris Ghent]

Ok, it doesn't exist yet, sorry about the tease, but if it did I would buy it. Any would be photographers out there? Not for the faint hearted or underskilled, concertinas are not easy to photograph. Access to the Horniman and the Wayne collection MKII would probably help. I am imagining something like the Tsumura Banjo Collection book. I would not expect this book to be cheap, in fact I would much rather it was good than cheap.

If you like the idea reply to this post, if there is enough interest someone with the requisite skills might get motivated.

Chris

[Geoff Wooff]

What a lovely idea Chris.
I am sure we all have one of these books on some subject or other and they are great fun. Perhaps this could be done for concertinas if many people sent in photos to someone who would collate them and make suggestions for taking better pictures. There is at least one book editor member of Cnet who might help with the text and several good photographers.

Geoff.

[Andy Holder]

Ok, it doesn't exist yet, sorry about the tease, but if it did I would buy it. Any would be photographers out there? Not for the faint hearted or underskilled, concertinas are not easy to photograph. Access to the Horniman and the Wayne collection MKII would probably help. I am imagining something like the Tsumura Banjo Collection book. I would not expect this book to be cheap, in fact I would much rather it was good than cheap.

If you like the idea reply to this post, if there is enough interest someone with the requisite skills might get motivated.

Chris

Chris, I, of course, would be up for it, but are you envisaging a book of instruments, almost like a reference work, or a book of people playing instruments? Or both? I'm communicating with Neil at the moment so I might put the idea to him. I take your PM point about a bit of directional light to pick out the shapes too!

Publisher in mind?
Cheers
Andy.

[Andy Holder]

A few to get started.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ash2020/

Andy

[Chris Ghent]

Andy,

I was thinking about straight concertina porn. If my memory is correct the Guggenheim companion book to their exhibition of motorcycles about ten years ago ( a superb coffee table book of motorcycles) did not have a single shot of a bike being ridden. I think the concept is, it allows people to dream the object is theirs rather than obviously belonging to someone else. It also highlights design rather than human story.

I wouldn't want to prescribe something here really, any such book would have to be someone's else's vision, though I'd be happy to consult.

I have to say its not looking good, 173 views, two people saying yes, one a friend and the other with whom I have at least an email acquaintance..! Thanks to both of you...

Chris

[Chris Ghent]

Another idea, the Chiff and Fipple board for Uilleann pipes has a place especially for people to post pictures of their pipes. It is a pinned thread in the general forum. This would not go amiss here...

[Ransom]

Chris, I am also in favor of this idea, and would consider purchasing such a book.

[shelly0312]

I was thinking about straight concertina porn.

... isn't this the perfect description...in fact this is what my husband accuses c.net of being....!!

[Geoff Wooff]

A complete photographic reference of all concertina models ever produced would be a fine thing to have but as a commercial project in itself there might not be enough potencial purchasers to make it viable.

Also, if the instrument became more well known, as in 'globally significant', we would be even more subject to plastic imitation, music and instruments, and someone would ruin the ambiance surrounding us crusty old anoraks. Some things need to be kept as an 'underground' movement to protect them.

An 'over popularity' of concertinas that could result from such a project might put the good instruments out of the financial reach of musicians

Geoff.

PS; Nice pictures Andy !!

Edited by Geoff Wooff, 16 February 2012 - 02:46 AM.

[Steve Mansfield]

An 'over popularity' of concertinas that could result from such a project might put the good instruments out of the financial reach of musicians

Maybe - or if the concertina became as globally significant as the electric guitar, the production and manufacturing methods would be refined: whilst there would be all manner of cheap cack around, there would also be instruments that were previously of a quality that would cost thousands of pounds to be be produced, made available for hundreds of pounds.

But actually I agree with everything Geoff said.

There's certainly another potential order for the coffee table book here ...

[Geoff Wooff]

Maybe - or if the concertina became as globally significant as the electric guitar, the production and manufacturing methods would be refined: whilst there would be all manner of cheap cack around, there would also be instruments that were previously of a quality that would cost thousands of pounds to be be produced, made available for hundreds of pounds.
(Quoting Steve Mansfield )


This sort of thing has certainly happened with the rapid rise in populality of Irish Trad. music. That most of the new concertinas in production are Anglos and the standard of their manufacture, at the top end, looks to be very high.In fact I would suggest that most modern concertina makers produce nothing else but the Anglo.

The same thing has happened in the market for Uilleann pipes and flutes where there is fine work being done to produce the best possible instruments but also some real rubbish about.

Economies of scale might reduce prices and waiting times and thus popularity can have its upsides.

A Reference book of the type suggested by Chris,I feel, would need to be the work of more than one person, so that detailed information could be included with the pictures of each instrument...

I would be interested in contributing to and owning such a tome.

Edited by Geoff Wooff, 16 February 2012 - 04:30 AM.

[Bill Crossland]

Ther is already a significant website with over 10,000 images in existence at http://www.concertinamuseum.com/ - with another few thousand images being added shortly. These are of significant early concertinas reflecting the history and development of the instrument, rather than romantic portraiture.... Maybe a Flickr site where people could post (anonymously)and catalogue pictures of instruments might be the way forward?

[Geoff Wooff]

[quote name='Bill Crossland' timestamp='1329384536' post='133257']
Ther is already a significant website with over 10,000 images in existence at http://www.concertinamuseum.com/ - with another few thousand images being added shortly. These are of significant early concertinas reflecting the history and development of the instrument, rather than romantic portraiture....



Thanks for pointing out this wonderfull website Bill. It is of very significant interest. It does however need serious editing, as has been pointed out before, and there are large gaps in the developement line from the early Victorian models to the beginings of the types that most people play today.Not that I am at all down playing the enormous amount of work that has already gone into this project.
My particular area of interest is the English from the period 1890-1910, in fact, the 'Lost Ledgers' era of Wheatstone production. I have noticed some very significant internal changes to the instruments during this time and would love to see more examples to compare with those I have owned and played. So, hopefully Neil and friends will be filling in the blanks as time goes on.
There does appear to be enough knowledge about to produce a very complete archive.
Best regards,
Geoff.

[michael sam wild]

Ihave a great book of American instrument makers with pictures of them, their workshops and their instruments. That wouldbe nice

[Chris Ghent]

Bill, the comcertinamuseum site is great but I think I had in mind something slightly more romantic than a catalogue. And I was thinking of glossy photos in a large format book. Lets have both. Has anyone here ever participated in such a book and might know what the costs are?

On a slightly different note, I wrote to Paul last night to ask about the possiblility of a pinned thread here titled "pictures of your concertina" . Another board I frequent sometimes, what a hussy, is the Chiff and Fipple Uilleann Pipes board, and they have such a thread, been going for years. Paul says its not so easy here as there is not the space to store a lot of photographs.

Chris

[JimLucas]

On a slightly different note, I wrote to Paul last night to ask about the possiblility of a pinned thread here titled "pictures of your concertina" . Another board I frequent sometimes, what a hussy, is the Chiff and Fipple Uilleann Pipes board, and they have such a thread, been going for years. Paul says its not so easy here as there is not the space to store a lot of photographs.

Could be possible, IF the photos were not loaded onto the concertina.net server, but stored elsewhere and just image-linked into the posts.

The downside of that is that if a photo were moved or deleted from its original locations, it would then disappear from the thread.

[Chris Ghent]

That solution demands a higher level of engagement from the would be photo poster, having somewhere else online to store the photo...

[Mark Davies]

If its of any interest I have saved most of the photographs of concertinas that have appeared on Ebay since it started as well as taking photographs of all the concertinas that I currently possess and that have been in my possession over the last 15 years