Dear Dan,
Thank you. Your comments are very helpful. I am going to order a Dreux instrument. Am I correct in thinking that if I want I can change the location of the mouthpiece myself (if I have the necessary mouthpiece)? I am leaning toward starting with the long Nicolas mouthpiece, but who knows. I wouldn't want to have to send the instrument to France just to change the mouthpiece location. I've heard that each instrument is special ordered and it can take a few months for it to arrive. Is that your understanding? I guess in the meantime I'll practice on the iPad CBA (if I only knew what to practice). Any further suggestions apprciated, including any method books that might be helpful. I might be able to struggle through the Galliano book. Because I have a lot of experience with similar instruments (in the sense that fingering patterns are readily moveable) such as guitar, lute, viols, and c vs f recorders, and I am used to both regular musical notation and four types of tabliture, I should be okay with the mental side of things. Hopefully there are excercises to help my fingers get used to the most common movements, and suggestions on how to make a nice sound breath/embouchure-wise. If you don't mind...why do you have three accordinas?
Best,
Jim