Yay! I've just got my first concertina!

I've been looking for an English concertina for a few weeks now and I've been snooping around on this forum looking for tips and advice. Today I went to visit an old friend I met whilst playing fiddle for a morris side, she has lent me a Wheatstone 48 key treble concertina that she feels needs playing to keep it healthy. I'm as chuffed as a cat with two tails . I arrived home and was just getting it out of it's box to see if I could manage to play a scale in C, but DW has reminded me that it's after 11pm so I'd better not.

I can't wait 'till morning

Congratulations and welcome to the fraternity. But be warned, it's too late to turn back now ...

Cheers,

Chris

Edited to add PS: with this post it seems I am now an ineluckty doodad. Well I never did.

Late night never stopped me!

Patrick

And so you should be! Be warned that your days of drooling over a Jackie are long gone now though, having once driven an E-Type Jaguar your Reliant Robin would seem inadequate forever ...

You're doomed, so let me give you a tip. Don't EVER set foot in Chris Algar's 'shed' - bankruptcy awaits the unwary.

Pete.

Hello and welcome! I was considering your dilemma - its one that I've encountered a number of times now and I have to say there seems to me only one possible solution. Take it to bed with you and play it underneath the bedcovers. This will enable a number of good things to happen. Firstly the sound will be muted by the bedclothes, and secondly you will be learning to play/finger the buttons without having to look at the thing - learning where to pt your fingers by touch so to speak. These benefits can only, in the long term, be good for you musically. In my particular case it had a third benefit in that bringing a squeezebox to bed was also good for my marriage - but that's a private matter!
Hope this helps - AL

i have successfully played my concertina under some blankets. it is a great muffler! i was not under the blankets with the concretina, however. i do not know how good my arrangement is for the bellows... but it somehow strangely helped me with my bellows control. the blankets straightened them out!

when i got my edgley, it was freezing cold, form all the time it spent in transit, so i had wait many long hours for it it to warm up to room temperature. it was hard!

congrats on the loan of a wonderful instrument!

So, I'll be able to report back to Anne whether you've been giving it enough execise by looking at how much time you've spent posting on here?
And don't forget to let your good lady wife have enough time on it as well. The more the merrier!

Robin

Thanks all for the welcome and the encouragement

I was up early this morning. Sat for a while just noodling around the buttons trying to get a sense of direction, feeling the rows and spaces. I eventually managed to get a C major scale starting at middle C. After an hour or so I worked it up to two octaves. I also worked out the G major scale but my right thumb is getting sore. I've made an adjustment to the thumbs straps and it's much more comfortable now.

I've been watching a tutorial on Youtube where the first tune is Go Tell Aunt Nancy so I'll give that a shot this aft. Any suggestions for other beginner tunes? What was the first tune you played on your conc?

Well, if my time spent posting on the Fiddle Forum is anything to go by it's suprising that I find time to Practice anything

You little devil, Martyn! And there was me thinking you were after an Anglo! Good English models are a helluva lot cheaper than good Anglos, anyway...

I can only dream of such grandeur.

fjb

Why the necessity to muffle the sound come 11pm ? Play alone, play softly, very softly, very very softly. No problem on my instrument. Excellent practice without the risk of driving others round the bend and sweeter tone into the bargain.

You're right Rod, but me being new to the instrument didn't fully realise the full dynamic range of the concertina. DW has only ever heard concertinas played full chat for morris dancers and as a result, had visions of me waking the whole street.

I've been practicing all aftrnoon. The tone is beautiful and sweet, not too loud at all

David,

Good news: When I got my Edgley, it was July.
Bad news: I had it delivered to my job, and had to wait until I got home from work!

The beauty of the concertina is you can practise it in the car. Try that with a piano accordeon, trombone or bagpipes!

I live in a tiny terraced house and out of courtesy to my neighbours often pop out to a quiet layby by the river to practise. The view's better too.

what a life we live! you should have called in sick the second it came in:

"i gotta case of the squeezies!"
"why are you calling me on the phone? i'm right here. you look fine."
"no, i have concertina acquisition disorder. i'm about to burst. i must leave now."

Done that. It works. But the problem is to carry it into and out of a car. And no, you can't leave it in the car.
Though I did (bad) and didn't have any problems (luck), even on hot days. Specifically for the purpose I bought minivan, having tricked the family it's for them. (keep that secret, will you?)

lol! I'll have to try that one.