Little John

I go weekly to a small pub session which is mainly rock/country. I take a concertina and often a bouzouki too. I use the concertina for all kinds of music - Rolling Stones, The Band, John Denver etc. I'll play melody, counter-melody, bass line or chords as the fancy takes me, and even the occasional solo. Last night I played backing to Galway to Graceland (chords and counter-melody) as support to a folk concert (Magpie Lane), including an impromptu solo when the singer forgot his words.

I would use my ring finger on the E and middle finger on the B.

I completely agree with this. It's worth playing a few scales and arpeggios for practice, but if that bores you look for tunes which consist of lots of scales (e.g. Brighton Camp) or arpeggios (e.g. Smash the Windows) to achieve the same goal.

I understand it's quite common for Cajun players to take a factory-tuned instrument (presumably in equal temperament) and have the thirds and sevenths flattened by 14 cents to make them sound more acceptable.

Thanks, Geoff. Interesting. What was the logic behind such a layout? To me it would make more sense if the Es and E flats were also changed so that it became a Bb transposing instrument.

Despite the caption, these look more like duets of some sort rather than 'English' concertinas as we use the term.

Probably not. The intention is that you play from what looks like treble music. When you see a middle C in your brass band score you play the 'middle C' button - the one that aligns with the centre of the LH thumb strap. It actually sounds the F five notes below (or an octave and five notes below in the case of an F bass). That's just how brass band music works - it's all written as if for a treble instrument. Pick the instrument that matches the line in the score and it all comes out right. What is written as middle C (C4) actually sounds as C4, F3, C3, F2 or C2 according to which part/instrument you are playing.

Ah, I didn't know that. So if middle C aligns with the middle of the left thumb strap it's probably the case that someone has been messing about with it. If TxConcertina can tell us where the middle C button sits and whether it has D#s or Dbs that should settle it.

It's not exactly a variation. Some instruments were deliberately made this way for playing brass band music. Your instrument plays a 'natural' scale of F and would be used for playing Eb brass parts. (The 'normal' instruments playing a natural C scale would play the Bb parts.) There were two sizes of these F instruments: F tenors and F basses. The tenors would go down to C3 - i.e. one octave below middle C. The F basses are an octave lower. Note, though, that as far as the written music is concerned their lowest note was G - the same as trebles, baritones and basses. If your instrument is one of these F instruments you will find that where you would expect a D# you will have Db. If you wish to convert it to a normal C instrument any competent repairer can swap the B and Bb reeds and tune the Dbs up to D#. You will find the notes to be one row higher than normal - so middle C will align with the top of the left hand thumb strap rather than the centre. It's actually easier to play. I have a converted F bass. I got the Bs and Bbs swapped but didn't realise about the Db/D# issue so it still has Db. Very rarely a problem.

It's helpful to distinguish between chromatic as in "has all the notes of the chromatic scale" and chromatic as in "can be played in all 12 keys". The anglo has two main keys (most commonly C and G) but instruments of 30 or more buttons have all of the accidentals outside these two rows of buttons to make them chromatic (only over a limited central range for the smaller instruments). So anglos can definitely be played in more than two keys, and frequently are. Duets are fully chromatic (except for the very smallest Haydens), but that doesn't a make them easy to play in all 12 keys. In reality, as a Crane player, two flats to three sharps is my limit, though frankly I don't need more than that.

This isn't really feasible. Even if you're playing only the left hand side of a duet you still need your right hand on the instrument for bellows control.

As ever, David, you are right. 3/2, not 6/4 as I said without thinking enough! Interestingly, though, I've just flicked through a book of Anglo-Scottish Triple Hornpipes. Most of them don't have a time signature at all, which sort of reinforces the other point I made: I was also careful to refer to "Irish jig", which implies 6/8 time. In England a jig is just a solo dance (or occasionally a dance for two as a "double jig") irrespective of the time signature. The Radstock Jig, for example is in 4/4 while Kemp's Jig appears in 2/2, 2/4 and 6/4 times in different places.

Both 6/4 and 6/8 indicate six beats to the bar, so at one level they are interchangeable. Conventionally, though, 6/4 is used when the bar is divided into three groups of two beats (compound triple) and 6/8 is used when the bar is divided into two groups of three beats (compound duple). Whatever time signature is used, the music should make it obvious which treatment is intended: triple-time hornpipe or Irish jig.

That's what I was trying to say; sorry if it wasn't clear. Also, you would want an Eb rather than a D# - same note (assuming equal temperament) but different position, and nowhere near the F# position on your instrument!

Curious! As far as I can work out, the extra RH button is in the C# position but the extra LH button is in the F# position. Whether the notes are C# / D# or C# / F#, neither makes a lot of sense. Another oddity is that a century ago flat keys were more popular than they are now, so an extra D / Eb would make some sense. Had they done that the former would be sensibly placed but the latter button would be physically rather isolated. All in all, a bit of a mystery!