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This does look exactly like a Lachenal. But there have been German made copies of English made concertinas, even including action that is very much the same as typical Lachenal action. This one for example

I'd suspect it may well have been made in the Edward Chidley years at Wheatstone's, but would really need to see inside it. Certainly he produced some innovative and unusual instruments. I see it has passed through the hands of North London dealer/tuner/reed maker Henry Dean.

I'm about a year and a half in to learning the concertina and I come.from a vocalist background and I'm mostly in the same boat as you. I learn around a tune a month, although I am getting better. If I need fake lyrics to sing along with something I just meow.

Swan or Penguin not withstanding, a lovely tune. So simple and deep. Great orchestration there. Thanks.

Curious, the label is right-side-up—that is, upside-down with respect to the instrument. And crooked and off-center. Is it the original label that has been removed and replaced badly or is it not the original label?

Here it is (yes, I know it's upside down) with a Wheatstone label but no visible serial number. Listing is at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395387419637 . Is anyone familiar with these?

I’d believe it. It’s certainly more believable than that this is a German concertina.

Could it be possible that the label is damaged and they say '(pa)TENT' under lachenal and just misread both?

Joe Bane's and Gypsy Princess! A lovely pairing indeed, and reminds me I should give Cormac Begley and Jack Talty's record another listen soon. Well done, both on your playing and the instrument build!

The Bonny Cuckoo! ( An Chuaichin Mhaiseach ) . An old traditional Irish Air, first published in 1726. It is believed that Carolan composed his tune - 'Si Bheag Si Mhor' after hearing this ancient tune. Played on Hammered Dulcimer, English Concertina, Fiddle, Whistle & Bodhran. Lockdown Video #722 It was wonderful to hear the Cuckoo calling again, at 5.30am this morning, while listening to the dawn chorus from my back door. Incidentally, when I googled the Irish name for this tune today, I got two different answers - The Bonny Swan & The Bonny Penguin. 😳 .. There aren't many Penguins to be found around the coast of Ireland. 😀 Chers, Dick

You can see the English-looking action through the fretwork in the 3rd picture. I’ve never seen an early 20th century German concertina with that kind of action (or the bellows papers). I really wonder whether “Machenal” is a typo for Lachenal. No idea where the “Trent” might have come from.

It's fine in all the keys I'm likely to play in for folk music (up to three sharps , down to 2 flats). The wolf is a long way away from those. See https://pghardy.net/concertina/lachenal_27590/lachenal_27590.html for background.

This ad appeared today in Kijiji which is a bit like Craig's List in Canada: https://www.kijiji.ca/v-view-details.html?utm_term=822597424&adId=1692644761&utm_campaign=PR077_SCB24_Kijiji_Search_Alerts_EN&utm_medium=email&siteLocale=en_CA&utm_source=alerts It is an EC that looks like a Lachenal Tutor model to me but the seller says: "Vintage. Concertina ! In working order ! Approx ! 85 years old made in Germany by Machenal&Trent Germany" I had never heard of Machenal & Trent before, maybe they were just sellers in Germany in 1939?

If the D# is the acting as the third in a C minor chord it doesn't sound that bad. For that reason on my second Crane (also 1/5th comma mean tone) I have all D#s and no Ebs. If (and I suspect this is unlikely) you were to use it at the root of an Eb major chord it would sound awful. So that would be the third in an F# major chord? It will sound awful. Somehow a sharp major third sounds much worse than a flat minor third. So there are two options if you wanted to explore MT tuning. Firstly accept the nasty sounding Bb (when it should be A#) as the occasional price to pay for a much better-sounding instrument overall. The second is to have that button as an anglo Bb/A#. But if your use of Bb far outweighs the use of A# probably best to go for the first option.

Thank you very much! I have roughly a dozen of these 'slow when not danced' annotations in my collection of ABCs, and they've always left me a bit puzzled - wondering whether they are played at the gallop for a dance, and slowly otherwise, which, as an idea, somehow didn't 'feel' right. That clarifies it! (Later edit: I should perhaps say that those annotations are all in Strathspeys by William Marshall, and that I don't know whether they were in the original (printed?) score, or were additions by the original ABC transcriber - that's why I'm in such a quandary...) I'll have a look at that Paul Anderson video later. Thanks again!

Please see: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/285846608254 for details. All sensible offers considered. Best regards, Neil

Thinking it over, it occurs to me that one reason I’m hesitant to do this is because on my 46-key Hayden (one Bb, one D#, no Eb or A# on each side) I often use the D# as an Eb (for instance in G minor) or the Bb as an A# (in B minor).

Hi Everyone, Has anyone ever identified what Mr. Vickers' ''Jeffries copy' bellows paper looked like, or seen a concertina with them? Best wishes, Seán Picture from the J J Vickers price list...

Hi Roger, The fact is, Slow Strathspeys are never danced to. Technically, they're always played much more slowly than regular Strathspeys, but at the same time, they're not Slow Airs. If you want to hear an expert playing & talking about the Art of the Slow Strathspey, you might like to check out this video by Paul Anderson. - The Slow Strathspey Cheers, Dick P.S. Here's a fine example of a Slow Strathspey.

Yup! Apart from weeding out all dodgy rhythms and key sigs., I also ditched tunes from Ukraine, Macedonia, etc. from that small selection. 'Twould have been at least twice as large otherwise.

In my book, Balkan dance music is fascinating and intriguing, but quite far away from the "western" listening habits... in particular the rhythmic patterns (such as 7/8 or 13/8 which are not uncommon) and the different scales tend to pose quite a challenge for us "ionian/dorian jig/reel nerds." ;-). Also be aware that "Balkan" is an umbrella term for a large geographical region that has very many different dance and music cultures, so your friends in Serbia may or may not be able to relate to pieces from Macedonia or the Ucraine. Sort of like someone from China visiting the UK with a collection of "the best of celtic folk" is the bag (incuding Breton/Irish/Galician...)

Thanks for that! I'm a great admirer of William Marshall's music. This is played rather slowly, but I've seen instructions on ABC transcriptions 'Slowly unless danced'. Is it acceptable to play it a bit quicker then?

No problem. Apology accepted. To be sure, I was a little uncomfortable responding as I did to your question because I generally have respect for your posts.

Apologies, David, you were actually one of those I had in mind when I made the abve restriction... I should have added the two instruments on top of the fiddle... 😉

Thank you. That certainly answers the question. Good point. No, I don’t. But realistically it’s unlikely I’ll ever do that.