Roger Hare

I was just about to update my recent post with: There is a series of YouTube video clips about Scholers starting here. As far as I can see, Bb/Eb isn't mentioned in this series, but they may help...

Yep, that looks right. Interesting - there are no known examples cited in this article from a long time ago. ____________________ gunmanbob - thanks for the up-to-date diagram. I missed the point that you were matching the middle row of that diagram to the bottom row of your instrument! At least I don't have to update my Bb/F layout diagram...

A couple of points: Yes, there is a 'normal' jump between each key. In a G/D concertina, the D-row is a perfect fifth above the G-row. In a C/G concertina, the G-row is a perfect fifth above the C-row. I think I got that right - these fifths, fourths and thirds do my head in. That's for the common configurations of G/D, C/G, etc. - there are 'one-off' key configurations which may differ from that. I used that McCann keyboard designer recently to create a button numbering diagram for a system proposed by a user here. The program seems suited to doing two things (as far as Anglos are concerned): creating note layout diagrams (ie: where the notes are) creating button numbering (or fingering) diagrams for different systems, (eg: ABT, Coover, Sherburne, etc.) The program is a bit fiddly to use, but is fine once you get your eye in The data files (.mck extension) are in fact simple text files. If you open a file using your favourite text editor, it is possible to edit the file 'by hand' - again, once you get your eye in...

Thank you for that lucid explanation. With that in mind, now that I look at the dots more closely I can see the similarities and differences. I wish I had the skills to spot this sort of stuff off my own bat!

Does that one sound a little like 'Carrick Hornpipe'? It's a bit early in the morning for me, but I can't quite convince myself that there aren't at least some similarities... BillyPigg's.mid CarrickHornpipe.mid

There's a series of short video clips dealing with Scholer 20-button concertinas on YouTube. The first in the series is here. They may help you in your attempts to fix this machine. They may also help identify the key, if that is in doubt. If fixing concertinas is a 'hobby', you could do worse than buy a copy of the Concertina Maintenance Manual by Dave Elliott.

PlayScore also seems to be available for Windows. Does this mean I could do the same thing on my Windows machines? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I'm trying to get my head around this. I've seen discussions of scanning sheet music (elsewhere) which seem to regard the job as 'pretty difficult', so this looks like a pretty slick trick...

I think you just listed 'em: well constructed, enjoy the sound, don't find myself fighting... As far as the vintage instruments are concerned, it's a pleasure to own something which looks good, sounds good, and is still going strong after 100+ years... I don't know that there are any 'weaknesses' - nothing serious that springs immediately to mind. The Marcus is maybe a little heavy, but that's all I can think of... I do tend to use the Marcus at Morris dance-outs and the vintage instruments at home, for the same reasons as those outlined by AndyNT... FWIW, I've dealt with Barleycorn, they are fine. Of course, for me they are only down the road, not on the other side of the Atlantic...

I get the impression that you are operating in a different (higher) price range to that in which the usual caveats/criteria/warnings about buying the 'best instrument you can afford' apply? All the instruments you mention in your OP look as if they are 'good' choices. It becomes a question of choosing between several 'good' options, any or all of which might fit the bill. I have both a Marcus, and vintage Lachenals in my small collection, and all have their own desirable characteristics and strengths. Maybe, given that you seem to be operating in that higher price range, you should be prioritising your 'needs' rather than being overly concerned about the thickness of the wad in your wallet? Which is no help at all, of course - it just presents you with a different problem...🙁

I was afraid someone would ask that! I don't run a web site/page so I can't do this easily, but here's a TinyURL link to the MP3 on DropBox: https://tinyurl.com/3skfkj6z It's been a while since I used either DropBox or TinyURL, so I'm not 100% sure this will work... I attached the ABC I used, so folks can try it out 'live' within the context of your program... Arrival_of_the_Queen_of_Sheba.abc

I just tried the same with Handel's 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' - excellent - what fun!

Good! You're doing better than me then... That tablature system is explained more fully here. Now, if you're minded to do so, you can try this: A simple arrangement of 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor?'. This is in Amin and is played (mostly) on the C-row. Note the excursions onto the left-hand to get the A (L1^) and G (L1), and the brief excursions onto the G-row to get those F-sharps (gL1^). There are (many) other ways of playing those sequences of notes - that is a get-you-started arrangement... Later: It might be worth mentioning that this is playable on a 20-button instrument (as is the 'Katyusha' I posted earlier)... drunkensailor.pdf

Thanks for that. That's pretty much what I expected to hear, and I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm exactly the opposite - I used to generate web pages and PDF for my Shogi documents, but years ago, I got hacked off generating new PDF every time I made a change, so I stopped doing it, but elected to stick with PDF... Yeah, I saw that section in the online UG, I'll have a fiddle and see if I can make things better (for me...😊). Thanks again.

I think there used to be a link to a paginated/formatted PDF copy of the User Guide? I can now no longer see this (though I may have missed it!). Instead there are instructions for using the browser's print-to-pdf facility. Is that the only way to get to a hard-copy of the UG? One reason for asking is that the formatted PDF was ~70 pages, the print-to-pdf offering seems to be ~130 pages... Another reason is that my own preference is always for a paginated/formatted document (how incredibly old-fashioned I am...😊). Thanks.

Like all really good ideas, you end up wondering "now why the hell didn't I think of that"