After "finishing" the English Buyer's guide (already yielding useful suggestions for revision), I want to transcribe the very interesting maker's forum from the 2004 Northeast Squeeze-In. Tired of grading astronomy papers, I sat down tonight to work on it. After typing the first 5 or 10% I found myself just listening to the rest of it. It is fascinating! Frank Edgley, Rich Morse, and several audience members had a lot of useful and interesting stories and observations. My best hope is to work on it over the school holiday. If I finish it, Frank and Rich will get final editorial veto and then we will share it here.

I hope in a future year to get an even bigger roundtable of makers at the NESI. Is anything comparable done in the U.K., or are trends in concertina making and the concertina market so evident there that it isn't necessary?

Completely off topic
but greetings from a fellow astronomer.

Chris Jordan, Jodrell Bank Observatory. UK

And from an amatuer astronomer here

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Bill

Not that I'm aware of. In fact the only maker I am aware of who regularly attends concertina events in England is the Dippers, who can frequently be found running a concertina hospital service at the Kilve events.

Other makers can usually be met manning stalls at folk festivals (but not Steve Dickinson, he's usually off playing guitar - rather well, since you ask). A forum of some kind would be great, since you could see represented not only makers of mid-range instruments, but high end as well. Trouble is I can't see it happening, somehow.

Chris

Ken--

It was a worthwhile session. What was particularly fascinating: hearing the big differences in sound between the new midrange instruments. All the discussion on forums like this can't answer the really important questions -- ie what are the differences in sound? How do they feel in your hands?

It was also interesting seeing how far they've progressed. I still like my square Herrington as a backup instrument, but the new breed of accordion-reeded anglos represent a real advance in sound. Tedrow, Edgley and Morse deserve a lot of credit.

Well posting sound files can answer the questions about how they sound (preferably some in most genres of music so you have some idea how the instrument will sound playing the type of music you like . But you are right Jim, nothing can really replace picking a concertina up in your hands and feeling what it is like to play it.

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Bill

Ken,

Cool avatar.

Helen