LoM

Thank you Robert! May I ask how long you were on the waiting list for the Parnassus? I was just interested in seeing if their waiting times are still 3-4 years, and to learn more about the process, because i'm preparing for upgrading.

Thank you Jim! The Tornado did hit very close to home, but none of my family was affected. My heart goes out to the very many people who were. On that note, that's one of the reasons why I was trying to get in touch with Concertina Connection, to see if they had been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic at all; And to check up on their waiting list.

I've called the number on their page, and I also emailed them about a month ago (11/16) and realized I never got a response back. I was wondering if they still make concertinas. I bought a Rochelle Anglo from them years ago.

Thank you for the help everyone!

The reeds are also glued in, rather than set and screwed in.

"I must say, however, that I’m not sure I understand what’s going on, here. It’s a bit of a puzzle. Is it just one reed that has gone out of tune, or has the whole thing drifted? Free reeds don’t go out of tune very quickly unless they fracture, which is unlikely to happen to more than one at a time, and would require replacement of the reed rather than tuning." Just the one central A, (It's a C/G), left side, top row, middle button. Not even the G on the same button is out of tune. Just the A.

Hello all, my Rochelle concertina recently went out of tune. I've only found one local shop that tunes accordions, but they only service Hohner instruments. I'm in Nashville, Tn. at the moment. Is there anyone within 250miles who could tune a Rochelle? Or is it something I'll have to do on my own?

Thanks for the tip Gary! Thanks also to you Greg! Hopefully things are in order and I'll be able to go, this year has been crazy so far and I've barely been able to make it to sessions. It would sure be nice to go! StuartEstell, I'll keep you posted ;-) As for the music, right now I'm exclusively interested in Irish music for concertina, but that's only because it's all I know. I have a full repertoire of tunes I'm transferring from my other instruments and newer tunes that I'm learning specifically from concertina recordings. Chris Droney, Noel Hill, Edel Fox, Caitlin Nic Gabhann and Mary Macnamara are in my collection and the more I listen, the more tunes I wanna learn on concertina. I would very much like to hear some other styles, but I'm coming up dry... very dry. Not hearing a lot of versality unfortunately. My ears are always open to new styles though if you have anything you'd like to share :-)

Thanks David!

Hey folks! So its exactly 3 months(a quarter year) since I began learning concertina, and this thing is getting really really fun. The learning curve is proving to be really high, and as I take more lessons, things keep getting smoother and making a lot more sense. It still feels like a Rubix-Cube a lot of the time, and Im having a few drawbacks that are hard to explain, but navigating it has become a game creating a flowing rhythmic contour. The problem Im having is the availability of different fingerings. My fingers and brain get into some serious knots when learning a tune. Its like a constant musical tongue-twister. I figure out one fingering, then another fingering works better. Then the second fingering doesnt exactly work well with the next phrase, or Im not getting the "legatoness", bounce, or drive that Im looking for, and then again figure out a different fingering. When I find a fingering that truly works for the entire tune, Ive already learned fingerings I probably shouldnt have, and other fingerings I would do good to use. Its a mess! And dont even get me started on how crazy it gets when you mix in harmonics! Gah! This first is a set of polkas that Ive been playing for a while and learned first on my other instruments. https://youtu.be/6B5r6DLze5U This 2nd is a set of two reels. The first is an old favorite, the 2nd, a new favorite. https://youtu.be/0dLZXmMjbio All forms of critique and advice welcome!

Glad to hear you got things sorted Lou! Happy playing

Glad to hear you got things sorted Lou! Happy playing

I've seen his stuff before. Dude is good. Like, really good. He has a "1 year later" progress video playing a hot reel, The Musical Priest. He's impressive.

Hello again everyone Been playing the concertina for just over 2 months now and I must say I'm really enjoying it! It's quite challenging, but in a fun and happily maddening kind of way. With that being said, it baffles me that there's only one style of music I like to hear on it. Irish Traditional. Now, given I didn't discover this lovely reeded box until I was 19, maybe 20 years old, it's no wonder I don't know many of the musics played on it. But what else I've heard, I've strongly disliked. So if I may ask of you, what's one of your absolute favorite videos or recordings of concertina? All styles and genres welcome, preferably solo or lightly accompanied though. Something that really brings out its character. Something that epitomizes what you love about it. Here are 3 of mine... Reels by Noel Hill https://youtu.be/MWosPa3SuNM Jigs by Edel Fox https://youtu.be/h6gl172F9d8 An Air and Reels by Caitlin Nic Gabhann https://youtu.be/cFJURq1I4e8 I'm excited to hear what other genres of music this instrument strives in! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for commenting:)

Thanks Wolf!

Hey everyone! I'm back, and with a Concertina this time. Its been a few weeks since I got my concertina and ill be uploading progress videos to my youtube weekly as I progress through the OAIM. My OAIM Concertina Progress: Weeks 1-3: http://youtu.be/lzU6qSvCGmQ My Concertina Progress: Self-Taught Reel: http://youtu.be/pKMTlez7km8 And here's a friendly piano video. Big Reels on Piano: The Foxhunters/The Bucks of O: http://youtu.be/lAII4UzQ-b4 I can already foresee the challenges ahead with Concertina, but itll be fun and exciting! Hope you all enjoy the piano playing!

Congratz! I just ordered my first concertina and should be recieving it sometime next week! xD I got the Rochelle as well

Is there a benefit? Or is it just a contribution?

Hey Maki, I decided to go with Wakker. I'll start on the Rochelle, move up to the Clover, and the move up to one of the Traditionals. If I ever change my mind, i'll get a Carroll. Having played one, I can't deny that they are very nice.

It looks like i'll be getting my first concertina much sooner than I expected. About 2 weeks from today actually. While i'm waiting, i'd like to get my hands on a nice book or two about the Anglo Concertina. It could be about the history/evolution of the instrument, the makers, players(individual or compiled), a tutor or method book, really anything. My only true preference is that it be a book you've read personally and would recommend or know to be popular. I've checked with the bookstores around here and I can't find anything, so I may have to order one online. Feel free to mention books I may find at the library. Thanks for sharing!

So far, Irish Traditional music is the only music I'm interested in learning on the Concertina. I'm currently saving up money for my first concertina, so before I actually get started, I'm taking this time to explore other styles of music. For the last few years, my life has revolved around Irish music, so I feel that this time is a better time than ever to learn about other cultures and musics. I've listened to some English concertina and I'm not really liking it(which isn't much of a shocker given I'm not much of a fan of classical music). One of my coworkers mentioned "Russian" and "Gypsy" music, but those terms are so open-ended I didn't really know where to start. I found this video on YouTube to give an idea of what I think sounds good, but I don't know what style of music this would be called... http://youtu.be/-3yDhmpcxEU ...Here's more examples of the kind of energy and feel I'm looking for. http://youtu.be/ZWuNf4gxwuM http://youtu.be/Azfre_VfryE I guess this would be called Medieval or Middle Ages inspired, but I'm not sure, I just know I like his(Jeremy Soule's) soundtracks. So what kind of concertina music do you like to play/listen to? I don't mind if it's solo or for ensembles. Please share

I actually did have a question. What was the layout of the Carroll? And also, why would you suggest the Wheatstone or Jeffries layout? I'm not sure which layout I would want when the time came to choose and no basis for why I should pick one or the other.

Today, I visited with Mr. Greg Jowaisas. Immediately walking in there was almost a dozen instruments set out for me to try, amongst them, Lachenal's and Jones'. Due to a bit of overwhelm and sensory overload, I was only able to take notes on a few. The first instrument I looked at was a Lachenal Anglo 20 button C/G with brass reeds. It had a sharp sound and was a bit dissonant, but not enough to be unbearably off putting. The one thing that gave me a hard time was gripping the instrument. A bit into the visit, Greg talked about the different parts of the instrument and mentioned the strap screw and then I realized "gripping" was more a trivial matter than a legitimate one. All in all, it was really simple to pick out a few tunes on, but the lack of a C# immediately turned me off. The second instrument I tried was a Lachenal Anglo 22 button C/G. I have no idea what changed in between the two systems, but I couldn't figure out the diatonic scale structure. Out of frustration, I moved on to the Anglo 30 buttons C/G's. The Rochelle was pretty sharp, and sometimes ringy, so tonally it was a little on the harsh side. But like the Lachenal, it wasn't so bad that it hurt. I was quite impressed with it. To answer my own question, no it did not sound like a toy. What I didn't like was how the buttons didn't really have a stopping point when pushing them, like the springs didn't have enough tension. Given it's an entry level instrument it's shortcomings were obvious and expected. There wasn't enough wrong with it to turn me off so I will officially be starting on the Rochelle. The steel reeded Jones's were really nice. They had a very warm and mellow tone compared to the brass reeded boxes. I liked them a lot. I also got to try a Carroll. It was absolutely lovely. It was very comfortable and smooth to the touch. I loved the feel of the metal buttons and it's bellows were very light. It's tone was bright but very controlled. It is a wonderful instrument. I walked in not expecting to learn a single tune, but I picked up this system very quickly. It was much simpler than I expected. I'm no longer intimidated by the Anglo being bisonoric and I'm actually quite fond of it now. Over the time I was there I managed to pick out a jig and a reel: Joe Cooley's Jig(The Bohola) and The Little Bag of Spuds. I didn't get them down-pat, but I was impressed with what I could work out in such a short time. I also tried out an English, just to give it a fair chance and to experience for myself it's "apparent" intuitiveness... First off, I have no idea why it's the recommended concertina for pianists. It's alternating pitch structure wasn't very logical to me and it's unisonoricness didn't help it's case at all. As embarrassing as it is, I admit I couldn't manage to even figure out the D scale. I couldn't find the F#! It was so frustrating and humbling, Greg brought out a fiddle for me to play so I could recover. I say all this in good humor but the English is not for me. He also showed us a baritone Duet concertina, which was enormous and made even less sense than the English. Goodness... On the English, I couldn't find the 3rd scale degree, and on the Duet I couldn't find the 2nd! xD. It was really neat sounding though. Overall, the concertinas were all wonderful. They do small acoustic instruments proud with their loudness, but they weren't too loud. Those that were bright weren't too sharp. Those that were warm weren't too muted or stale. A few did have a clarinet thing going on with their tone, and that baritone duet could've passed for a... well... Baritone(brass). But the rest of them did have a special and distinct tone. I'm so glad I got to feel and hear them live on my own knee. In between the concertinas, we were able to share a few tunes, a few stories, and a few laughs. He told me about different events in the area and talked about his experiences with Noel Hill. He also answered all the questions my very inquisitive friends had to ask. I would've learned a lot more if I wasn't so focused on assessing the boxes. One of my friends said, "I think I know more about the concertina than any other instrument now!" Definitely worth the trip and I look forward to continuing things with the Concertina. Thanks everyone for the recommendation and thank you very much Greg for the opportunity. You're a gentleman and a scholar! Cheers! -Jerone

"So, on my scale I would place the Anglo (profficient level) around 6 - tougher than piano, because of quite arbitrary 3rd row (and outer buttons in home rows), diatonic core and bisonority. But it is obviously easier than fiddle, so on your scale it cannot go over 7 [but on my scale fiddle gets more like 9 - I can realy think of no other istrument than fiddle/violin, that must be learnt from early childhood to be able to go on proffessional level; only a trumpet gets near, with 8 maybe]." "Relative difficulty of various instruments can vary extremely from person to person. E.g., your examples of 1's and 10's aren't even close to how easy or difficult I myself have found those instruments." To be more clear, the make-shift scale I made is open to interpretation. With the understanding that we all have different experiences, "No lower than 7" means at the least we understand it to be a relatively difficult instrument meaning anyone else could rate it a 7 or more. Whereas "No higher than 4" means at the most we understand it to be a relatively easy instrument meaning anyone else could rate it a 4 or less. But that's only with my scale. You can make your own scale if you like. I'm open minded and would like to read your own interpretations for sure. Not to mention I'm still a young multi-instrumentalist, so my scale may be skewed and inaccurate anyway