Halifax

Google has some misinformation on me. I'm getting ads for cute clothes for women (okay, makes sense) and cute Asian women for dating (erm, no thanks...).

I asked the same question when I got my Morse. I was told NOT to not oil the leather bellows because the oil could seep into and destroy the card stock that gives the leather shape. Do use one of those soft cleaning cloths (chamois?) to wipe the dust out of the bellows once in a while. Don't play and eat Doritos or anything else that will affect the finish on the wood. (Also because, ew. Doritos.)

Thanks for the url, Bill. Watched it last night; it's a beautiful film.

Thanks for the tip, Peter, I will certainly check out the library! Christine

I think it was you, Peter, who introduced me to the ITMA and the music files they have available. Do you have any insight on why they might not acquire out-of-print albums? Is it a matter of copyright? Or perhaps they have such albums in their collection, but just not available for listening online? Apologies if I'm going too far off topic. Christine

I am not anywhere near being a top player, but I play on the Wheatstone system and I've considered having a few keys changed out to make playing tunes in D maj easier. My next concertina will have a Jeffries layout. Christine

Mr. Heathen: If you want to expand your geographical search, the Boxwood Festival in Nova Scotia has a concertina teacher this year (Mairead Hurley). July 22 - 28. http://www.boxwood.org/canada_register ---Christine

I'm guessing they chose it in part because it fits nicely into a square and fills up the space. Harpsichords are too leggy and most stringed instruments are too long. That squat concertina with its intricate end designs and bellows papers is perfect! Christine

Hey, Breve: I am not a doctor or anything close, but you want to watch those repetitive motion injuries. You want to keep the swelling down, so before a long session, you might take an anti-inflammatory (like Advil) and after a long session, ice your elbow (best thing is a package of frozen peas wrapped in a towel---you don't want to freeze the skin). Also, it's very chic these days to support strained muscles and joints with KT tape. My daughter uses it to help prevent injuries to her feet (she's a percussive dancer) and it seems to help. Plus, at $15 per roll, I feel like I'm helping the economy. Here's some info on taping your elbow: https://www.livestrong.com/article/265398-taping-technique-for-tennis-elbow/ If it keeps bothering you, talk to your doctor; she may give you a referral to a physiotherapist. Best, of luck, Christine

They were probably waiting for you to play scales.

That's lovely.

A good habit I've discovered is to schedule small house sessions with one or two other musicians---and not necessarily concertina players. Playing in small groups exposes the weak bits of tunes you thought you had a good grasp on; thus letting you know what you need to work on. One of my bad habits is depending too much on the button accordion player in our larger Wednesday night session. When I play next to her, I can hide my mistakes and after a pint and a session, I can convince myself that I'm pretty good!

I am loving this topic! I'm making a note of all my bad habits that I've got to fix. At least I know I'm holding the concertina right-side up!

"Cracked reed" was what I heard in the retelling. It is possible that the word "pan" was lost along the way. You know what happens to stories. In the next retelling, there will be a bear involved.

Looks like y'all are having too much fun! Thanks for posting; that's a really good tune. cdm

Why reinvent the wheel indeed? I thought the article was interesting because a friend of mine dropped her 80-year-old Wheatstone, took it into Custy's and was told that she might have a cracked reed --- panic ensued of the "they don't make 'em like that anymore" type. So, when I came across the article about those researchers taking wood and processing it so that it's stronger than steel, well, it seemed like maybe someday, someone might put such wood to good use in a concertina. Regarding your experience with the academics and their polymer---Did you at least get to say: "I told you so"?

Keep us posted!

I am not a concertina maker, but I've been reading about reed construction (blue steel vs brass vs aluminum, vs new steel, etc). So when I came across this article about researchers at the University of Maryland who found a way to change the cellulose fibers of the wood, I thought perhaps the technology could be used to make concertina reeds. Crazy thought? https://umdrightnow.umd.edu/news/umd-researchers-create-super-wood-stronger-most-metals

The folks I know who've gone to the Boxwood Festival in Canada have LOVED them. It started as a flute thing, but has expanded and now features the more exotic Swedish nyckelharpas and Irish concertinas. It's basically the most fun music camp in a really cute UNESCO Nova Scotia fishing town. I'm not in any way connected to the festival, I just live nearby and have heard people raving.

Ooooh, but that engraving is pretty.

Busterbill, thanks for the reply. You are correct in assuming that I'm considering moving up to a Dipper or Carroll (the design of his Noel Hill model is just so damn pretty!). Alas, it's a hard purchase to justify at this stage of life (kids heading out to college, etc). On the one hand, if I'm going to play the thing at sessions once or twice a week for the rest of my life, I may as well get the best one I can, on the other other hand, the Morse is a perfectly capable little instrument with a quick action and a good sound. I did check with the the good folks at Carroll, they say the wait is 1.5 years---not too bad. I am in this for the long game.

Ohh, Ceemonster, this is just the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks much! I think you'll agree that I shouldn't tade my 30 button Morse for a 20 button anything. As for the Lachenal, I think I'll hold out for a Carroll or a Dipper. But then, there's the $, right? Am I but a poor carpenter who'd blaming her tools? Would the $ be better spent on lessons? Am I simply suffering from acute concertina acquisitionitis? Thanks for the info on the UK dealers. Might be that I have to take my own trip and not leave it to my huband anyway.

I'm turning 50. And I promise that I'm not "testing" my husband but... He's going to Paris and then Rennes and on the off chance that either city has a music shop that has a good collection of Anglos, I thought I'd have him take a look, have a listen, and maybe bring me back a souvenir. You know---because it's almost my birthday. I have a lovely Morse now, but am making plans for a Dipper or something of that ilk. If he comes back empty-handed, that's okay too. (We took years looking for his cello.) Suggestions?

And now I'm going to try to use the phrase "Brechtian menace" as often as possible.

The 4 new concertina players in my town are playing: Morse hybrids (2) Rochelle (1) and one unknown (but I'm curious to find out!)