Little John

First Jim, thanks for introducing me to this tune. Nice to hear the Bm in the B music. That chord, and Am, are too often neglected. (Mainly, I think, because the standard D/G melodeon doesn't have them!) Anyway, inspired by this and having printed Robin Harrison's music I then had a bit of a hunt about and discovered something curious. Firstly, although all the sheet music I found (apart from on Google images) used the name "Chain Cotillion" on YouTube the name "Sussex Cotillion" was much more common. (Incidentally Paul Hardy's Session Tunebook is the only other one I found with four parts.) Now with so many versions to both read and listen to there are naturally some differences. With one exception they could all be described as variations and would be perfectly interchangeable. The one exception was the last note in bar 6 of the A music (and the equivalent place in the B music). As written down every "Sussex" version has C and every "Chain" version has D (except the one on The Session). These are not really interchangeable as the harmonies you would choose are different. To add a bit of confusion, Robin's written music has D but in his recording he plays C. And I'm going to call it the "Sussex Cotillion" (nicer name) but play the D (which I think is more interesting). LJ

If it hasn't been tuned since 1870 then it will almost certainly be in a mean tone temperament - probably quarter comma. You can check this easily: first play the same note at different octaves together. You would hope that they sound good, indicating the instrument is basically in tune. If that's the case, now try playing Eb and D# together. If they are horribly different it indicates mean tone tuning. (Likewise Ab and G#.) If possible leave it alone! LJ

I missed this first time round, so a couple of comments now. I don't see that anyone answered the question of how the two layouts arose. My understanding is that Butterworth patented the Crane layout including the arc (in 1896) and that Crabb invented the chevron pattern in the hopes of getting round the patent. Interestingly the Butterworth patent doesn't give dimensions. Geoff Crabb's diagram (referenced above and now to be found at http://crane.concertina.org/layouts.html) shows that the vertical spacing is consistent at 10mm (which my limited experience would confirm). The lateral spacing is a different matter altogether. Geoff shows the Crabb chevron at 12.5mm spacing - narrower than the half-inch (12.7mm) spacing on an English concertina. The one Crabb with chevron layout I had was 15mm. I also owned a Crabb with the Butterworth arc spaced at 15mm. However, 15mm isn't necessarily standard either. I owned an early Crane and Sons instrument with 14mm spacing. On the basis of that and my experience with the English concertina I had my Holden Crane made at 13.5mm spacing. At the other extreme another member of this site has a Wheatstone (Butterworth arc) with 16mm spacing of the inner columns and 15mm to the outer columns. I believe he specified his new Holden at 16mm throughout. (And I'm sure he'll say if I've got this wrong!) From my experience with all these different layouts and dimensions, it really isn't an issue swapping from one to another.

JK often plays a staccato note on the first beat of the bar for punch and drive.

That might be true of his left hand, but not his right where there is a clear gap to be seen. I hold my (small duet) concertina in exactly this manner so I've been experimenting to see whether this idea of corner of the instrument resting in the heel of the hand is true for me. What I've discovered is this. The weight is taken almost completely by the knuckle of my index fingers; the strap being tensioned against it by the thumb being curled round. (This is also apparent in the photograph of the blind player.) Other than that there is almost no contact between my hand and the instrument. My palm touches the handrail (little finger side) only very occasionally and briefly. The heel of my hand doesn't touch at all; and neither do my little fingers since they are usually busy pushing buttons. It sounds unlikely, but I've played several tunes while concentrating on my grip of the instrument and that's it. The knuckle and the thumb do it all. Watching myself in the video I linked above seems to confirm it. LJ

I had this problem with a Crabb duet I owned. @alex_holden gave me great advice. Take the end off and remove the button. Put the end back on. Now look straight through the bushed hole to the peg hole. Is the lever directly above it? If not, gently bend the lever with a small pair of pliers so that it is. (Take the end off first!) It worked for me. LJ Afterthought: The Crabb's levers were riveted. I don't know if this solution will work for hooked levers.

Yes, I see what you mean! I have mine the same sitting or standing. Fairly loose in both cases.

Did you attempt to keep the instrument horizontal (as you probably do when sitting), hanging down at sixty degrees like Joe Blackburn, angled up at thirty degrees as in David Barnert's photo, almost vertically upwards as JK sometimes does, or something different?

"Middle" in terms of button count, but I suspect both the mode and the median are likely to be 48 buttons. I wouldn't like to guess at the mean! LJ

Most of all, I'm not sure why you would really want to. There are plenty of anglos about as it is. I can't imagine you'd get a better concertina for your money this way. I'm not sure ethics come into the question, but there are relatively few duets about. It would seem a shame to cannibalise a serviceable duet when there are people who want to play them.

Seven valleys, six ridges. Conventionally described as six-fold (though as another member has mentioned, that's not entirely logical ...).

At the other end of the spectrum it would be interesting to know how many 42 button Cranes were made. A 42 is quite a good size - significantly more useful than a 35 and yet those seem to be much more common.

That's a massive beast! What range of notes does it have? LJ

I followed RAc's link, which led to a fairly skeletal site, but I also found this which looks like the old site. LJ

Mike implicitly raises a good point - beyond 48 buttons there's more benefit in adding lower notes rather than more higher notes. Very large instruments (such as Mike has) add a whole row on either hand below the normal C start (and then a few more besides). What Crabb did with their 58/59 buttons instruments was to take a 55 and, typically, add to the LHS B2, Bb2 and F2; the first two being outliers in a sixth column and the last being a thumb button. One way to get lower notes without having a large (and fairly rare) instrument is to modify a standard 48 by re-purposing the rarely used C#3 button (and maybe the Eb3 too). For example if you sing in flat keys you might have C#3 retuned to Bb2. If this is done properly by weighting the tip of the reed it is easily reversible with no damage to the concertina. Mike, out of interest could you clarify: Does this mean you have two buttons (D# and E) which sound in only one direction (which is what single action normally means) or are they two notes on one button in the style of an anglo concertina? LJ

I'm not sure why you're concentrating on Lachenal. Wheatstone and Crabb also made Cranes, and the general information you're after applies to all. Broadly speaking, more buttons = bigger and heavier. Many people (not all) consider small to be better so it's a classic compromise of which is the smallest that will give you the buttons (i.e. notes) you need. And that depends on what sort of music you want to play. In the past I've owned several instruments ranging from 35 to 55 buttons. There are a few instruments with more than 55 buttons, but they tend to be oddly positioned (for technical reasons too much to go into here). If this is to be your first Crane, stick to one of the standard sizes until you really know what you want. In the 35 - 55 button range almost all instruments start at C4 (middle C) on the right and C3 (an octave lower) on the left. 35 button instruments are generally small and light - 6 1/4" AF. I learn on one and there's a lot you can do with it, but there are two limitations. Firstly the right hand stops at G5. Several folk tunes go a note or two higher. On the left hand the small number of buttons means there are certain chords you can't play fully - A, Bb, and B - but it's not a show stopper. You can always find ways round. 42 button instruments go to C6 on the right so very useful. All you really need in fact. The left hand has most of the limitations of the 35 (except you now get a C# to play a full A major chord). The one I had was 6 1/4" AF so quite a good instrument. However, they are pretty rare. 48 button instruments add three higher notes on the RHS, but I've never found much use for them. However, the 20 buttons on the left is the minimum you need to form every chord you might need. For this reason 48s are generally considered to be the smallest size for serious playing. I wouldn't entirely agree, but it's a good starting point. Size is generally 6 5/8" AF. Doesn't sound much more than 6 1/4" but in your hands you can feel the difference. 55 button instruments add a couple more accidentals to the top of the RHS, and a whole extra row of buttons on to top of the LHS. The extra LH buttons can be useful, but by no means essential. Size is generally 7 1/4" AF. In my opinion, the optimal instrument (trading physical size against the minimum number of buttons you need) is the RH of a 42 with the LH of a 48. That's pretty much what I've got in my custom @alex_holden 44 button Crane. If weight is a particular concern it's worth noting that an instrument with aluminium ends and reed frames is lighter than its brass equivalent. If I recall correctly, my Crabb 48 weighed less than my Lachenal 42. Hope this helps. LJ

Coincidentally another thread led me to Dan Worrall's book on line and I came across this illustration. The concertina is being held 60 degrees below the horizontal, much as when I play standing. [I hope this isn't breaking any copyright or anything. Please remove it if so.]

I've just listened to a verse and a bit. No concertina.

It might look that way, but it's actually 45 - 60 degrees below horizontal. Maybe this recent (i.e. 15 minutes ago) video shows it better. The key is not to try to hold it horizontal, but to let it hang naturally from the thumb end of the straps. https://www.instagram.com/p/CKJOjrvhN-c/ The first example was standard size for a 48 Crane - 6 5/8 inches. I've done the same on a 51 button Crane weighing slightly more than your (1.79kg).

It's a pair of microphones arranged so their heads cross at right angles - pretty much what you have on your Zoom recorder.

It would be every bit as big a problem with English concertinas, where any scale bounces back and forth each note. But on any concertina, pointing one microphone at each end and then panning them to separate stereo channels will sound unnatural. I'd have thought the solution was to use a crossed pair. You'd get a more natural sound without the dullness that comes of mixing down to mono.

I like the idea of a simple microphone I can plug into my iPhone to improve the quality of the sound. This one seems to be mono only. Is there a stereo equivalent?

I tend to let the instrument drop naturally, held essentially by the thumb end of the strap, as illustrated in this video. Nevertheless, I prefer to rest the right end on my right thigh if possible. It gives me better control. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv9oLUYlX-O/ LJ

Not just really big instruments. My 43-button Wheatstone bass is built this way which makes it quite compact (and really responsive). It's a slightly stretched hexagon measuring 7 1/2 inches across face in the smaller dimension and just under 8 1/2 inches across the others.

Ah, now you're getting philosophical! My answer is that ridges have a "positive" quality about them. You can see them and count them even when the bellows are closed. Valleys have a "negative" quality. You can't even see them when the bellows are closed. I suggest it's against human nature to count something you can't see. The value of a convention/custom is that, logical or not, more-or-less everyone knows what you mean. Logic and convention sometimes collide when describing anglo concertinas. The description "32-button anglo" is logically correct, but in counting the air button and the novelty button most people will be misled into thinking it has 32 buttons playing proper notes; i.e. two buttons in addition to the standard 30-button anglo (which some do).