groeswenphil

I'm getting even more interested in this book. I just received this story from the lady that's selling it. Your message has given me an attack of very acute nostalgia. My father, who died in 1963, was a gifted concertina player, not at all of the oompah variety. Family legend had it that in the early 1900's, my dad would have been eight or nine years old at the time, there was a procession of the townspeople of Charters Towers (an old gold-mining town in North Queensland) to meet the Governor of the State. Leading the procession, my dad playing the concertina. The Town Clerk and his wife who had no children wanted to "adopt" my dad and give him a good musical education but of course his mother wouldn't part with him. In my childhood for part of the time we lived in a very small town (no more than twentyeight houses) and occasionally there would be a dance held in the one-teacher school room. I can still see my dad, the concertina swinging around his head, as he played waltzes, schottisches etc. He played another sort of music, also. Mostly songs I think. He played a Wheatstone Chromatic Concertina mostly, but in later years he had a much larger instrument, I seem to recall the name English Duet Baritone, but I may be imagining the name. When I first came to England in 1959, I spent a lot of time trying to track down Alexander Prince records and I did find a few for my dad. I must say though, that when I heard Alexander Prince, although my dad admired him I didn't think Alexander Prince was a patch on my dad! So you see I grew up with a concertina player. I'll get the tutor off to you as soon as I can, probably to-morrow or the next day. (I don't get out of the house very much and have to depend on someone else doing the posting). the tutor did not come from him but somewhere in the muddle of books etc. in my house I think I might have one or two concertina pieces which I can let you know about IF they ever come to light! His "party piece" which he would play to amuse people was "Old Black Joe", the Stephen Foster song. My dad would tell the story of a man who could play only one tune which was "Old Black Joe" ....at a concert, this man (my dad doing the playing of course) would play it as a straight song, for a dance he'd play in the different appropriate rhythms...the one I always liked best was "Old Black Joe" as a funeral march. I wish I could remember exactly to tell you but the funeral march was lovely...so sombre with a repeated deep key. Treasured memories. Sincerely, Mary Chapman. (Big Moo Books)

Hi, I just bought that. I'm thinking about PDFing it and making it available for all. Perhaps someday I'll be rewarded with a smile. Phil

[ i don't want to let m nieve self get rigged into buying something thats jst gonna break! That one's gonna break. Where do you live? Are there any other concertina players living near you? Are there any makers near you. As a general rule, Anglo is best for dance music, English system is best for Classical or for accompanying songs......but this is only a general rule. Many players can prove this rule wrong. There are some good student models available for about £500 ish English pounds. It's hard to find a cheap concertina....you just can't make them in a factory, they're all hand made and take ages to build. The one you spotted..........once the reeds go out of tune, and it will happen very quickly, then that's about it. Yes, there are plenty of good books and websites. Don't let your dream slip away though. Concertina is a great instrument; one that offers new challenges every day. Phil

Here it is as a WMA file. Actually, I haven't listened to it for ages....its still great. http://www.esnips.com/doc/28bbbb8d-f3ed-43...b89a/09-Track-9 Phil

Y Gwr a'i Farch ( The Man and his Horse) comes from Edward Jones' Musical and Poetic Relicks of the Welsh Bards (1784), where it was given as a dance for five people. A perfect tune for Welsh Bagpipes. It can also be played as a round. There is a recording of the tune available. Calennig:- Songs and Tunes from Wales GVRCD214. There, it is played on two Anglo Concertinas with the drone button held down. Mick Tems and Pat Smith used to play this as a sort of party piece. I might have an MP3 http://www.btinternet.com/~groeswenphil/gwr/gwr.html Phil

Reminds me of a guy living in Moscow during the communist era. He'd saved and saved and finally had enough to order a car. "I'd like a new Lada please." "Certainly comrade, what colour would you like?" "Oh," he says, "Red would be nice." "Right comrade.....there's a ten year waiting list." "Ten years..........TEN YEARS.......would that be in the morning or the afternoon?" "Why do you need to know?" "I've got the plumber coming in the morning." Phil

Fish and Chips...............gosh, you know how to give a girl a good time don't you. Two of the musicians at Cardiff Morris own Marcus G/D models and we swear by them (not at them) The sound rings out in the open air and can hold their own against a melodeon. You made a really wishe choice.........going for a Welsh instrument that is. Does it say 'Ty Tredegar' on the end plate? Marcus works from a little unit in Tredegar House, Newport. Ty (pronounced tee ) is Welsh for House. All the best, Phil

Sometimes I play with my legs crossed, left over right . This creates a sort of cavern between your right thigh and left leg. Now, if you place the left end of the concertina into this cavern, you might find that the tune rings out clearly whilst the bass accompaniment becomes a bit more muffled. I suppose it depends a bit on how much fat you are carrying in your thighs, but for me it works well ) Phil

Piccolo sized Lachenal on Ebay right now. Click Here4

Best word in the thread so far is probably SIMILAR. As a cup of Nescafe is broadly similar to a cup of double shot Late. As a pint of Heineken is similar to a pint of Brains SA. As a Vesta curry is similar to a Prawn Jalfrezi. As darts is similar to javelin throwing. I play for Morris myself, but personally I would always take my hat off to traditional Irish musicians who appear to have centuries of tradition and a wealth of musical genre. On the other hand, Morris fulfills a purpose, to maintain a tradition of good company, fun and smiles outside a pub on a sunny evening. Hope that helps. Phil

Try this link http://www.redstags.org/finder/mapck.cgi?l...mp;SE.gosw.y=15

Hi, If you don't find anybody, I'd try to get a copy of this book. Anglo Chromatic Concertina by Roger Watson. Amazon have one copy left at the moment. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Anglo-chr...719&sr=8-31 There other concertina books.....and I'm sure many on this group will say that there are better ones, but for an absolute beginner it really is hard to beat. Although it is written for a 3 row concertina lots of the content applies to a two row. You know, you might find somebody who could help you if you do some research on the internet into your local Morris dance sides....lots have anglo players. I'm not to sure about your local sides but I'm sure you'd find somebody that way. Hope that helps. Phil

Lord Franklin........ dots +midi file. http://www.btinternet.com/~groeswenphil/fr...in/franklin.htm Try Mozart 7, an inexpensive music processor that will read in a midi file then transpose it to any key that you want....and give you the dots in the new key. All the best, Phil Edwards

After doing some digging, I've discovered that it isn't South African at all....its a sort of experimental 40 button Bastari. All the best, Phil

Did a bit more digging....turns out George was correct. It is a Bastari....not South African at all. Apparently he made a few 40 button Anglos for Hohner some years ago. I'm still wondering whether it would be worth putting it onto Ebay or not? All the best, Phil

Hi group, Sorry if you've been following this thread in the Buy and Sell section. Basically I'm trying to get some information about this un-named South African concertina bought about 25 years ago. It's a 40 button Anglo C/G I've posted some pictures and a video on http://www.esnips.com/web/Anglo I'm trying to find a bit more about it before I post it for sale on Ebay. As far as I know, it was imported into the UK from South Africa by Hohner music. I bought it from Marcus Butler. At the time, he had two; identical except one of them had a huge Hohner badge on one end. Thanks in advance, Phil Edwards

Hi group, I've posted some photographs and a video at http://www.esnips.com/web/Anglo Here's one of them. Phil

I'd be interested in seeing some more pictures of this concertina. Could you post a straight-on pic of both ends and a pic of the bellows extended? Do you have a case for it? Would a standard Lachenal (wooden) case be large enough to house it? Kerry F I'll try to do that as soon as possible. It does have a case........actually a really strong one with a plush lining. The bellows has Lachenal papers fitted to it.......they look rather nice, but I suppose they could be taken off if anybody prefers nudity. All the best, Phil

Just a thought..........you said that it happened in New York at the port. Were you travelling? Did you have travel insurance? How did you pay for your ticket? If you paid with a credit card, you may have some insurance. All the best, Phil

I opened it up and found an ink stamp saying 761. Looking for more clues. All the best, Phil

Hi Group, I've a South African 40 button Anglo that I'm thinking about selling. It's about 25 years old. I bought it from Marcus Butler. At the time, he had two for sale. One had a huge white Hohner badge across one of the ends, the other carried no marks at all. I bought the unmarked one. I believe that it was imported by Hohner music from South Africa. It is quite unlike any other Hohner concertina that you'll ever come across. It's amazingly well built........really strong and sturdy. Thing is, I bought myself a new G/D Marcus about a year ago. I play for the local Morris, so G/D appears much easier for me. As a result, I haven't touched this South African Anglo for some time. It's a pity leaving it to languish in a cupboard. It has so much to offer. It could suite somebody who wanted the versatility that 40 buttons has to offer.......so many notes available both on push and pull. Strangely, it could be a great instrument for a beginner as it is so well built. I believe that it has accordian type reeds set in their own chambers, much like a melodeon. I can't imagine getting much for the instrument though as it carries no manufacturers details at all. I'm wondering about how much would I expect for the instrument........or should I just put it back in the cupboard until grandchildren arrive? Phil Edwards

I'm visiting Sark:- due to arrive on August 3rd. Information:- Sark is a tiny island; one of the Chanel Islands. Motor cars aren't permitted anywhere on the island...all traffic relies on bicycle, horse or feet. I've been warned to take a torch as there are no street lights either. For those of you who aren't UK based, you might not have heard about the weather that we're having here in the UK. Basically it has hardly stopped raining since the end of May. This week, huge floods have hit areas around the Cotswolds and Oxford. So....if weather conditions continue and I'm shacked up on a tiny island in the rain, I might get to learn a few tunes....and get very drunk. Been in touch with Jake, but he arrives the day I leave. All the best, Phil

Does anybody know of anybody who'd be interesteed in this. At the moment, just about the only thing that I know is that the project is low on budget......but it could be a great opportunity for somebody aged 16-21ish If anybody is interested, please e mail Eos Chater eoschater_at_mac.com change the _at_ to @ Project overview Working Title film company are shooting a film called Hunky Dory this summer starring Catherine Zeta Jones. She plays the part of a music teacher, and the big finale of the film is to have her school orchestra playing an amazing concert comprising arrangements of songs from the 70s.The director, Mark Evans wants this finale to sound out of this world, and he wants 11-18 year olds to play and record these arrangements. There is also a chance they could be in the film. In order to create a real sense of energy, the composer, Joby Talbot and Peter Wiegold (see below) would like to have a week's workshop/improvisation with these players. During this workshop there will hopefully be some gems of ideas of unusual arrangement which joby will then go away and arrange. there will be a second 3 day period during which time these arrangements will be rehearsed and then recorded. Dates: Workshop/impro week: April 9th-12th (Easter hols) Rehearsal/recording: May 5th -7th inclusive. Filming: tbc July? It is not known yet whether this particular recording will be used in the film as it depends on the standard achieved. If it is used- contracts etc will be arranged at that time All events will be in Cardiff. Location tbc

Now there's something that I'd like to squeeze........oh and the smell of leather....I'm in heaven ) Phil

My question to the jury is this: is this sort of experimentation with the fingering a Good Thing that bodes well for the future, or am I going so far off the beaten track that it will only teach me bad habits that I will need to unlearn later. I know there are some "widely accepted" ways of crossing the rows and there are no doubt good reasons. Quite definately a GOOD THING. Getting to know where every note is and in which direction to get that not is actually pretty essential. In fact......you haven't written the tune down have you? Sounds like a good practise piece. All the best, Phil