Michael Reid

Thanks to the pointer to that thread--I found it very helpful, and I'm now leaning toward getting my low D by displacing the low F in the accidentals row, as dpmccabe suggested. I use the A (first button in the G row) a lot, so I wouldn't want to do without that one.

I saw one of these earlier this year at the Button Box's spring workshop (in Massachusetts) and I thought it looked like a great solution--and low-cost, too. The manufacturer has a page describing model iM275, and from their How to Purchase page you can fill out a form to be contacted by a dealer--and they say they have dealers all over the world.

I have a 31-button C/G Anglo on order. I've been thinking about what note(s) to specify for the left-hand thumb ('drone') button. Middle C, both ways, is standard. Nearly all of my playing is Irish traditional music. I've been working on incorporating the available low notes in my playing and I like the sound of them when used sparingly. I've often wished for a low D (almost an octave below middle C), a note that's missing from standard C/G anglo layouts. Now I'm thinking about specifying that note for the thumb button. It seems like it would be useful in both directions, though I don't anticipate using it in true 'drone' fashion, i.e., holding on to it through bellows reversals. I've read through other threads about drone buttons (like this one) without seeing any mention of low D's. So I'm looking for opinions, pro or con, on this idea. Thanks.

I had only the opportunity to listen to the sample you sent us today due to technical PC problems. And I really love it! This is great Irish music in my view. Do you know who plays this track - who is this DOW? Hermann He's a member of thesession.org (and frequent poster there) who lives in Australia. "Dow" is a pseudonym. I've never met him but I know people who have met him and played with him in the U.K. That's about all I know.

Good for you, chiton1. I'm sure we will enjoy hearing a sample of your playing. For inspiration, check out this outstanding example of Irish on English: Paddy Fahy jig. The player also recorded his own bouzouki backing.

Ptarmigan, On the matter of playing multiple systems, take a look at the comments in the "English v Anglo" thread. If I had to play something in F, I'd find it easier on English than Anglo, I think. That's because I haven't learned Anglo fingering patterns for that key. Playing English relies less on learned finger patterns.

Chris, I've played English concertina for 24 years, button accordion (C#/D) for about 10 years, and Anglo concertina (C/G) for almost five years. I also have a piano background that goes back, well, let's just say a lot longer than I've played English. Of my three squeezeboxes, English was the easiest to learn, Anglo the hardest. Five years in, I have a lot to learn on Anglo -- but I love it and now devote almost all of my playing time to it. Not coincidentally, my musical interests are pretty focused these days on Irish traditional music; that was not the case 20 years ago. I don't think that playing one type is an impediment to playing another (nor is it an advantage). I think it's good for my brain to maintain agility on both concertina systems. Sometimes at a session I'll pick up someone's English, and it will then take me a moment to "reboot" my brain, but things fall into place fairly easily. Occasionally when stuck in a boring work meeting, I'll challenge myself to play "air concertina," imagining how I would finger a tune on one system, then on the other.

I vaguely recall seeing a Dipper some years ago that combined wood and metal in the ends. Does this ring a bell with anyone?

The silence is a bit deafening! Please review Paul's post about the Buy & Sell Forum, and note the words "It's free," and "free" again, and "donation" -- the latter of which, of course, implies something done voluntarily. Goading someone into a donation is neither sporting nor consistent with the concept. Since this brief announcement was posted in the General Concertina Discussion, there's a good chance the poster didn't even know about the donation convention. Moreover, how would the proprietors of this new online shop have a way to identify which sales are attributable to this single message on CNet? If you click through, you can see that one of the people behind this new store is noted concertina player Niall Vallely--the player on the CDs that were mentioned in the original post. I like to support efforts of musicians to sell their own CDs so they get a bigger net. And lots of players on this board have announced the availability of their CDs without being hectored by other members. Let's give the man a welcome here, not a lecture, and hope that he stays for the discussions. [edited for grammar and clarity]

Not exactly. You can copyright your arrangement of a traditional tune. See http://www.pdinfo.com/identify.htm -- "Anyone can create and copyright an arrangement of any music in the public domain. So even though music and lyrics may be in the public domain, there frequently are numerous arrangements of any public domain work under copyright protection."

What about the added weight? Is that not worth worrying about?

A few months ago I had an email debate with a member of thesession.org about the keys of the instruments used on certain concertina recordings. To help settle the matter, I corresponded with Tim Collins, who confirmed that the borrowed instrument Edel Fox calls an Eb concertina on her recording is the very same instrument Tim calls a C#/G# on his own recording. Just the other day I noticed that the concertina Michelle Mulcahy plays on Notes from the Heart is described as an Eb instrument ... it's obviously another C#/G#. Her dad plays a D/D# accordion (using C#/D fingering, of course ). I can understand this if I think about it enough ... but it is confusing!

Juergen Suttner advertises "flat solid ebony ends" as an extra-cost option on his new concertinas. See his price list.

I flew Ryanair last summer one-way from England to Ireland, after booking the flight on the web. I found: 1. I had to take every opportunity to decline the travel insurance that the site repeatedly importuned me to buy. 2. That I had to pay a hefty processing fee for paying by credit card--but that I could have avoided the fee if I had the right kind of debit card (it wouldn't accept my U.S. debit card). The buying experience was somewhat annoying but I still saved a lot over the alternatives, so on the whole I was satisfied.

That's the Golden Eagle hornpipe. You can find it notated in G on thesession.org. Or in F, G, or A on JC's ABC Tune Match. Gearoid is playing it in F -- on a Bb/F concertina, I think, judging from the fact that he's pressing the F's.

I second the recommendation of Transcribe!, available for both Mac and Windows. I use it on an 8-year-old Mac. Well worth the price. You can assess that for yourself during the 30-day free trial period. I also have a Windows laptop, and I occasionally use the slow-down feature of Windows Media Player on it. It's OK in a pinch but doesn't handle things like "rewinding" or "looping" gracefully. Also, it can't slow down WAV files.

It's "Willy Coleman's."

Noel Hill tells his students otherwise -- that is, to keep the ends parallel. Also, to anchor the instrument on one leg and to control the bellows with the opposite-side hand. Finally, to avoid opening the bellows farther than necessary. (I well remember Noel correcting me on that last point.)

Though I neglected to mention it in my review upthread, I found the metal strap fitting mildly uncomfortable. But then I saw on Wim's site that he offers a choice of strap attachment styles, including the top-screw method. He also offers three different button-height options, "Irish," "Standard," and "Victorian," ranging from 2 to 4 mm, respectively.

See this thread: http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=1671 where we discussed the late Jim Coogan's D/C# concertina.

Gary, one piece of information about Noel's classes that might be helpful (from a two-time attendee): You will get the most out of it if you can read music. Noel will give out a tune in the morning and have you work on it for the afternoon session. He will, of course, record it for everyone in addition to handing out sheet music, but if you have to learn it from your recording you will spend a lot of practice time backspacing your cassette recorder (or its digital equivalent) when you could instead be working on the techniques he is teaching. Just to be clear, my point is not to denigrate learning by ear--I learn most of the tunes I play that way--but to note (heh) that sheet music can be a valuable tool in the workshop setting, especially when the workshop is oriented toward teaching technique rather than tunes.

I love the sound of Ab/Eb instruments, like the one used by Micheal O Raghallaigh for several cuts on The Nervous Man. And some of my favorite non-concertina recordings are of tunes that have been pitched for Bb pipes (and hence sit well on an Ab/Eb concertina), like those on Mick O'Brien and Caomhin O Raghallaigh's CD, Kitty Lie Over. If I ever have the money to buy an "extra" concertina, I will look for an Ab/Eb -- and hope that not all the vintage ones will have been retuned. [Edited for clarity]

My unhappy rental car experience came in spite of doing everything suggested above. I booked online through Hertz, and I purchased the super collision damage waiver at that time. When I picked up the car at Shannon, they told me the existing dents and scratches in the car didn't matter, since I had SCDW and anything that happened to the car wouldn't cost me. You can imagine my surprise and outrage when, after the tire failed, the Hertz telephone assistance line told me that replacing it would be my responsibility. Sure enough, the SCDW form did say that wheel and tire damage was excluded. Perhaps other companies' SCDWs don't have this loophole. Next time I go, I'll look beyond Hertz. If anyone can identify a U.S. credit card that currently provides rental-car coverage in Ireland, please tell us which bank it's from ... I'd like to get one! The information I've seen indicates that both Visa and Mastercard have eliminated this coverage for cards of all types. For Visa, see here ("No benefit is provided for motor vehicles rented in Israel, Jamaica, the Republic of Ireland, or Northern Ireland.") For Mastercard, see here ("Effective September 1, 2006, US consumer cardholders no longer have core CDW coverage in Ireland, Israel, or Jamaica.")

My understanding is that no American credit card companies will cover rental car insurance in Ireland anymore. I checked before going to Ireland this past summer, and none of my cards, including a platinum Visa, provide this coverage. I also checked with my regular auto insurance company (State Farm)--again, no coverage. So I bought the super-deluxe-ultimate daily coverage from Hertz--which, it turned out, didn't really cover everything: Wheels and tires were specifically excluded. So when I had a blowout that couldn't be repaired, I had to pay out-of-pocket for a rather expensive tire.

Sorry, I carelessly wrote "C row" instead of "G row" ( as I think Ken noticed, but was too polite to call me out on). The dings are above the G row, below the C row ... evidence that someone really hammered on the G-row buttons. [edited for still more carelessness]