Halifax

Recently, I was at a conference for organizers of music festivals and I bemoaned the fact that although our festival is in a student-heavy environment, we don't have lots of students attending. I was worried that a lack of young people meant the traditions would die out. Then, a fellow festival organizer said, "you wanna know how to get students to come to your trad music festival? Wait till they're 40." If I run the numbers, the average age of our local session attendees is about 46. So perhaps the traditions are alive and well, but fostered by those of us who have a clearer sense of our mortality than the young ones who are trying to invent new traditions. Don't worry. They'll come around!

And then, sometimes one has to accept that the fiddle and concertina are very different instruments with different properties and different kinds of magic. That's why they can sound so good together. Daniel, I often listen to that that video of Cormac Begley playing Master Crowley's on a loop as I work. I love how the music grows and grows! Best, Christine

Ooooh! Thanks for this! I love that they play lyrically and aren't "off to the races."

This shop makes leather tool boxes that might do the trick (for smaller concertinas) if properly padded: https://aemcateer.com/

Wow, that's a beauty. Good luck with the sale!

One more tip, Susan, I find when I write out the notes into a music manuscript notebook, I'm more likely to remember the note/button the tune starts on. If I've done my practicing (lots), and I know what note to start on, I can usually depend on muscle memory to take over. Also, why did the pianist bang his head on the keyboard? ... He was trying to play by ear!

Susan, when I'm working on a tune, I put a recording of it on repeat---just the one tune. I have it on in the background while I work, for a few days. Then, when I sit down with the concertina, I'm just creating a finger map of a sequence of notes, kind of like a finger choreography. If the tune is already in my head, everything else is so much easier.

Late to the Game posted the following in a thread about a Dipper Anglo: " Make sure both you and your buyers do homework regarding their country's systems on Cites II restrictions for exporting and importing woods if you are selling outside your home country. Rosewood is currently on the restricted list, though they are talking about changing that for musical instruments in 2019. It would be a shame to have this purchased only to be destroyed at customs. Antique instruments are exempt, but not used ones. I think antiques are more than 40 years old, but I can't remember now. I would check with your country's agency for specifics. In the US the agency in charge of this is U.S. Fish and Wildlife. The agency will vary country to country. There was a used Cocobo flute shipped from the US to the UK early this year. The seller did not realize Cocobo was on the restricted list and the instrument was confiscated, gone for ever. I was told by U.S. Fish and Wildlife's Chicago office over a year ago that an instrument sold became a commercial transaction as of the date of the sale, whether it was made pre-cites II or not. This was right after the law came into effect and interpretations may have changed. You will likely need an import and export permit for the wood for both the shipper and receiver. There is a lot of info on this on the Chiff and Fipple Flute forum as blackwood was also restricted. Flutemakers have a lot more paperwork to do making sure they have a paper trail that the wood they use was sustainably harvested. As I said, they are reviewing these rules (at the Hague?) with the idea they may exclude musical instruments next year. As it currently reads you can travel with your personal instrument containing up to 15 kilos of restricted wood. So would you be skirting the rules if you took a trip and brought it home? I don't know and I'd hate to find out by seeing my Dipper walk down the hall under a customs person's arm never to be seen again. At least one Canadian lost his personal hybrid after a gathering in the US because the Canadian Customs agent thought it looked "too new". It was assumed he was trying to get around the rules. So people are encouraged to travel with their old reciepts if they have them. Again, if the powers that be make the exception for instruments this may no longer be a problem in a year or two. These rules are taken very seriously. I recently had a new Dipper shipped to the US. It spend a couple of days in "Homeland Security" where it was opened and viewed. In my case the woods were all Cites II compliant and clearly listed on the customs declaration. Chris Algar may have some info on this."

Wow, Djack! This is really cool. Many thanks! cdm

Thanks for the response, Ted. I can play the thing, but not up to session speed---and will Iikely never be able to play at the mach speed they play in the video. I agree wholeheartedly about speeding in pub sessions. At my local, we've been discussing it a lot lately. This Comhaltas article came across my newsfeed this week: https://comhaltas.ie/music/treoir/detail/speed_kills/ Still, it's a fine progression from dirge tempo to respectable tempo to a bit fast to speeding. I'm trying to practice my way out of the dirge tempo... Best, cdm

I like this reel because it's a good crossover and around here in Nova Scotia, both Cape Breton and Irish players know it. But I"m having a hellava time getting it up to speed. Any suggestions for fingerings on a Wheatstone Morse? Or is this tune simply not concertina friendly? Edited to add: just b/c Mohsen Amini can play it at speed doesn't mean that mere mortals can... All tricks and tips appreciated. Christine

Lovely!

RWL, I like that your case has room for a few accoutrements.

The box player in my session has lyrics to the polka "Maggie in the Woods" I'll have to get them from her but the punchline is: "and broke her concertina."

The typing analogy is funny. I often tell folks that the buttons make as much sense as a QUERTY keyboard at first. cdm