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Noel Ways

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Posts posted by Noel Ways

  1. Dean,

     

    Wim has a nice trade in program where he will give you the full purchase price for the instrument if you upgrade to a professional model. I imagine that this would include trading up to get an English. Just a thought. You might be able to get a great concertina for a very reasonable price this way. The Concertina Connection web site explains the trade in program.

     

    http://www.concertinaconnection.com/

     

    Noel

     

  2. I had put together a document with which to make some flash cards to fix in my mind primary chord options for each note - sort of like the times tables of way back when. What just caught my eye is that the mathematical patterns for primary chords associated with each note are all identical. I thought it was intriguing. If interested, I posted the file here:

     

    http://www.noelways.com/Concertina/Chord%20Study/Chord%20Study.pdf

  3. Please listen carefully to everything written above !!I

     

    I think we would all go into mourning, if you attempted

    anything yourself.

     

    The previous posts are wisdom speaking, borne out of

    years of experience by seasoned concertina players.

     

    You are one lucky person to come across such a concertina.

  4. Don,

     

    thanks for the tip. 6 3/4 " is workable for a backpack.

     

    I just put a bid on one of those - we'll see. I'm now

    determined !!

     

    If it works, I'll start another forum. If it doesn't, well,

    I know it can - just try again.

     

    Your not a grinch, your the silver lining

    of the cloud.

     

    Hope you got my email earlier.

     

    Got to get back to work, this has been

    way to consuming !!

     

    PS, what do you think of the following from previous post:

     

    " ... the fact one could make a limited Wicki/Hayden with no more effort than an Anglo might encourage one of the Anglo makers to do so and increase the choices of Wicki/Haydens available." - rlgph

     

    http://www.noelways.com/ANG_HAD_05.jpg

  5. Good point.

     

    I had an Elise for a few years. Do not want to do back to that again - for lots of reason; further it is too big. The goal is a small compact inexpensive traveler concertina. If I do this I would look for a concertina 5-6 inches across the flats. Perhaps it would be only 20 buttons. One can find them readily, and accordion reed are likewise readily available on ebay.

  6. http://www.noelways.com/ANG_HAY_04.jpg

     

    Perhaps. But if Wim were to do this, it would be expensive, and in this case one should just buy a Peacock. I wonder if Wim would even consider it !?!?

     

    The goal here is a do-it-your-self inexpensive "hayden key layout" on some cheepo Anglo, that one would not mind backpacking with or playing in the rain !! :wacko: Or don't mind taking to such places as Bogotá, Colombia !!,

     

    Remember the context of this forum. Matt Vanitas, who started this forum, already has an excellent hybrid Hayden Concertina, but he does not want to take is much beloved Baumount to such places as Bogotá, Colombia; so his goal here is to acquire a very inexpensive hayden concertina that he is comfortable having in such places. My interest here is that I like to hike in the forest and would like to have a inexpensive concertina to carry in my backpack. I have a Peacock, and I do not want to cart my much beloved Peacock where it might start to rain !!

     

    Anyone out there willing to try it ?? I'm giving it some serious thought ....

  7. With some trepidation, here is another image which I think far better shows what I am thinking about.

     

     

     

    ANG_HAY_04.jpg

     

     

    I note that I can also play many tunes with just the first two rows !! Therefore, a 20 key Anglo, could certainly be used.

     

    I confess, I have never touched an Anglo concertina in my life, but I think, I hope, that this image correctly shows the way the Anglo keys are and how I think reed arrangement can be adjusted to make a very inexpensive, do-it-yourself, Hayden type concertina for travel / compact purposes; using, perhaps, a Stagi or other inexpensive Anglo concertina and getting a hold of some accordion reeds.

     

    Hope this helps somebody somewhere ... Matt ??

  8. Matt, I have been giving your questions some thought and was wondering if you have considered contacting a concertina maker (they all make Anglos), and ask for a rearrangement of the reeds for an anglo to look like the image below. I believe that most concertina makers are fine with changing notes/reeds. I also note that Button Box has a Stagi with a very minor curvature and the buttons seem parallel to the hand rest. I bet they might be able to do this for you, and if they aren't, I bet you could do it yourself. I have been giving some serious thought about trying it, as I would like a very small concertina that would fit into my backpack when I go hiking, which I do frequently. Also, this arraignment would allow for the playing in at least four keys

     

    http://www.noelways.com/conc_01.jpg

     

    If you wanted an even smaller concertina, a 20 key anglo, could probably work as well, but it might have some limitations.

     

    Below is the link to view the Stagi concertinas. Note keys are "parallel" to hand rest:

     

    http://www.buttonbox.com/concertinas-in-stock.html#anglo

  9. I recently purchased two more of these so I now have three, so that when it gets real dry I'll have several going. It's probably better to have more control this way. Also, it may make a difference having the water touching the felt and not just having the water on the bottom of the tube so that the vapor can make it's way into the chamber - In other words, have it on it's side or "upside down". Perhaps David might be willing to add to this post at this point ?? -- I'll ask him ...

     

    Oh, one more thing, if your case is not air tight, you will need to add more humidity to compensate for loss.

  10. I was worried about my Lachenal Crane, taking it to Colombia, but I've ended up in Bogota where it's eternally 50-70F and drizzly, basically an Andean version of Seattle. So as long as the apartment isn't too damp I don't fret it, though have a small dehumidifier tablet just in case.

     

     

    If at some point I ever have a semi-custom box built, what kind of soundboard holds up well against environmental changes but still sounds okay? I thought someone mentioned at some point that one of the Afrikaaner concertina makers uses perspex (acrylic plastic?); does that actually work well? I'm debating having a small Wheatstone Duett-copy in Hayden made for me to take traveling for work, little 24-button or so mini, and having it made of climate-resistant materials would be awesome.

    Hi Matt, I am not a concertina construction

    expert, by any means; but I know that sound

    boards may be of

     

    • good quality ply wood (button box concertinas for example)

    These are far more humidity resistant than:

     

    • solid quarter sawn wood (concertina connection)

     

    Note, if you do get a solid wood sound board that

    will be attached another piece of wood that will

    serve as the action board, you will want to make

    sure that the grain of the two boards is going in

    the same direction.

     

    My Peacock has the two solid wood boards going in two

    different directions. And it is that way on both sides, which

    predictably causes hugh changes in the

    instruments performance; and has therefore

    led me to do much research on climate control

    in order to keep the instrument playable. If you

    get an instrument build for you, ask to have the

    grain of wood for action board and sound board

    go in the same direction. In this way, they will

    expand and contract together and there will be

    less or no difference as air becomes more dry or

    less so.

     

    Hope this helps.

  11. >I have been using this excellent Humidifier (Humistat #1) etc.

     

    Very interesting. How do you use it - just pop it in the bag along with the concertina?

     

    FWIW a quick search on Amazon reveals that these pieces of kit are currently unavailable,

    at least in the U.K.

     

    Thanks.

     

    Roger Hare

     

    Roger, It is very simple, just open the closure and

    put water into, now replace the closure. Place the

    device into the concertina case in a place where there

    is room to fit. You will see well enough when it is

    time to put more water into it.

     

    I ordered mine directly from the company that

    makes it. You can do it from this link here:

     

    http://www.humistat....tat_Model-1.htm

     

    Best to you...

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