~Sarah~

WCCP Beginners English (Repro 2). This is a spiral bound, authorised reproduction of the Frank Butler book, but has a second section included as well. In good condition. £7 plus £3.30 postage. Please note I will only post to the UK. The postage cost is for Royal Mail First Class.

Hi Mike I'm sorry but the Rollo Woods book has now been taken. I'll reply to your PM. Many thanks Sarah

I have decided to sell a few concertina music/tutor books. Sadly I am not playing very much these days. They are all in very good condition. Dancing With Ma Baby by Phil Hopkinson. The Complete Country Dance Tunes from Playford's Dancing Master. Never On Sunday transcribed and edited by Rollo G. Woods - Marches, Dances, Song Tunes and Party Pieces as played by a 19th Century Village Church Band. The English Concertina - Absolute Beginners by Alex Wade and Dave Mallinson. I am not really sure how to price them, so perhaps people could PM me with a suggestion if they are interested. I will only post within the UK

Many thanks John. Yes, I am a member of the ICA so I will send a request to Pauline to include in a future issue. I do go along to a local weekly pub session, but they all play by ear and I need the dots! I take my ipad so can join in with them. I would really like to be playing with other concertina players though.

Many thanks. I will try to come along to that.

Thanks John. I have been to Squeeze East a few times - it's a great event. Last year I asked if there was anyone from the Lincolnshire area, but there wasn't. I think people come from far and wide to attend Squeeze East.

I used to go to Chiltinas (in Bedfordshire) once a month for a lovely afternoon playing music (from the dots) with other concertina players. Last year I moved to Louth in Lincolnshire and so far I haven't found a similar group. I would very much like to set one up (if there is not already something running) so wondered if there were any players who may be interested in meeting up once a month.

Much better to have a squeeze! I might even try playing some instruments I've been learning the English for about 18 months (at rather a mature age!!). I started off with a Jackie to see if I really wanted to play. After about 3 months, realising I was hooked, I went to Chris Algar and purchased a Wheatstone. I traded in the Jackie and he gave me what I paid for it. He was very helpful, has a wealth of knowledge, and has loads of Concertinas to try out in all price ranges. If you tell him your budget he doesn't pressure you to spend more. I would really recommend him and he also has an excellent reputation selling on ebay. Hope you get your Concertina soon.

I am a newcomer to concertinas and initially purchased a Jackie (English Concertina) in about Feb this year. If you search on here you will probably find information on the Jackie. It was inexpensive and was delivered very quickly. However, after about a couple of months I decided I was hooked and was also in a position financially to upgrade to something better. I was recommended by a number of people on this forum to contact Chris Algar (Barleycorn Concertinas I think) which I did. He has a large number of concertinas (Anglo and English) and he was really helpful and not at all pushy - you can try out as many as you want. I purchased an English Wheatstone and am thrilled with it. As a total beginner I cannot advise, but would agree with what has already been said about buying the best quality you can afford. I chose the English system as I didn't feel I would cope with the Anglo - but that was just personal preference. Good luck with whatever you decide.

One of the reasons I bought my concertina was to be able to play when on our narrowboat. We don't live aboard, but I wanted a musical instrument that I could easily take with me on extended cruises.

Hi - welcome to the site. I am a complete beginner too - started about 3 months ago on an English. I am completely hooked already. Hope you get a concertina soon.

I am a very recent newcomer to concertina playing and bought a neck strap about a month ago. I am not certain that it really helps, although I'm not sure that I am holding the concertina correctly. I play sitting down and try to rest one end of the concertina on my left leg, but I still find that my little fingers ache after a while and the neck strap doesn't seem to alleviate this. Is this something that will improve with time? I try to play for about 30 - 60 mins per evening. I'd be grateful for any advice.

I am a total beginner (started on a Jackie about 3 months ago). I quickly felt 'hooked' and decided to upgrade sooner rather than later. After asking for some advice on this forum, I too was recommended to visit Chris Alger, which I did about a month ago. He was so helpful and I very proudly came away with a Wheatstone. It's a lovely instrument and I am really enjoying playing it, although I doubt I will ever be worthy of it!!! Many thanks to those who recommended Chris.

Wow. Stunning pics - looks like it was a holiday of a lifetime!!!

Congratulations. I really love that piece of music. I took up the English concertina about 3 months ago and am loving it. Perhaps one day I too will be able to play Meditation ...