gtotani

Wow! I am totally stunned! Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne has played all 4 movements of BWV1005! I. Adagio https://youtu.be/ttVflgXUpp0 II. Fuga https://youtu.be/8yI1GQM_NMk III. Largo https://youtu.be/BYksd5cYrkA IV. Allegro Assai https://youtu.be/VSdivIVBjL8

The problem is, it would be very difficult for Alex (a beginner player) to tell if the May Fair is in good condition or not. I believer no one in this forum would be able to give good enough advice without seeing and touching the real instrument. For this reason, I did not go for old instruments but chose brand new one from Concertina Connection. As suggested by Gary, McNeela Swan is below your budget and I have one, but I feel that quality control of McNeela is not that excellent and aftercare service is no good either. Still, it may be a good idea to try Swan as it

Thank you Gary for your compliment. I agree. This arrangement is lovely and demonstrates what a single 30-button Anglo can do. As usual, I am just a mocking bird and you can find the original performance by the arranger himself at the following link. Totani

I played "Lascia ch'io pianga" from "Rinaldo" by Handel. This is an arrangement by my twitter friend ryo. You can find the sheetmusic with tablature system used by Gary Coover here. https://twitter.com/ryo_concertina/status/1295689589504368654?s=20 Enjoy! Merry Christmas and have a happy new year. Totani

Thank you Steven for your rendition. I tried it, and I love it!

OK. I have run through all 50 tunes in "Christmas Concertina" by Gary, and my Advent Challenge 2020 is over. Happy Christmas to you all. Totani

Thank you very very much Gary and Nabio for the compliment! No, I did not pick up only 30 out of 50. Remaining 20 tunes coming up! A tune a day. That means, all 50 tunes will be on my YouTube Playlist by December 20th. After that until Christmas, I might go for Bonus track, like "Ashen Fagott Wassail" from "The Anglo Concertina of John Watcham" and others. "Merry Christmas Darling" is a bit challenging. I will have to keep it till Christmas 2021! Totani

Thank you Gary, for a nice Christmas songbook. This year, I am uploading my interpretation from your "Christmas Concertina" on YouTube, a tune a day, in the spirit of a good tradition of Advent Calendar, though I am 7 years behind this topic. Are there any other good Christmas songs that became public-domain after the publication of your book? I am curious. Gen Totani

Hi, CooperSue, I have a Minstrel (1st generation) with Wakker bellows since April 2018. It was my first instrument and I do not have many complaints. I believe Concertina Connection now sells Minstrel 2.0 with better balance on higher notes and lower notes. Wakker bellows! I highly recommend it if you are going for the Ministrel. I recently purchased a McNeela Swan but I find it far easier to play on my Minstrel. Whichever model you choose, you will feel big difference for sure. Good luck!

Hi, Ondrej, I was wondering why I could find only a handful of recording of your Bach(?) arrangement on YouTube, and decided to do it myself. Among all, I like your arrangement of BWV Anh. 119 (Polonaise) and BWV Anh. 126 (Musette) Gen

Hello, there. I am the one that played and uploaded. Thank you for finding them out, Ondrej. I know there are so much room for improvement, but since I believe these will give some ideas on what one would be able to enjoy by getting your sheet music. I hope more people will enjoy playing You arrangement of Bach. Gen Totani https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCk1Kc0IbA6-25jkHSfQbpcQ

Hi Gremich, Sorry for late reply. I have my Minstrel with Wakker Bellows since last April. Minstrel is my first concertina and cannot compare with anything else, but I am very happy about it. Well tuned, smooth bellows, relaxing black ends (I do not have to worry about fingerprints!). In the initial stage, one of the buttons was somehow "stuck" but Mr. Wakker gave instructed me how to solve the problem. I think you can use this instrument for ages. Enjoy! Gen Totani

Hi Michael, Thank you for your clear and informative explanation. (and sorry for going off-topic from the original post) Regarding the bellows, when I placed an order, Wim strongly recommended Wakker bellows option, and so did I. Having read your explanation, I am now more confident than before that I made a good decision. I think I will get along with my Minstrel for my lifetime. Felted sleeve! the action should be very smooth I would imagine. Hope you will have a good time with your Clover, and your old Minstrel will find a good owner!

Michael, Congratulations on your upgrade to a Clover. I have got my Minstrel about two months later than you did, and my Minstrel still keeps me satisfied and entertained. It would be nice if you could share your initial sense of "change" between the two instruments. Cheers! Gen

Speaking of simple tango, I am practicing "La Cumparsita" on my C/G Anglo. G-minor (two flats) is working well. Just follow the melody and should sound good enough. If you are interested in how bandoneons are played in Tango, a new book specializing in bandoneon in Tango has been published recently. The book bilingual (English/Español) and would give you some insights about the technical aspects of bandoneon playing, I believe. https://tangosinfin.wordpress.com/metodo-de-tango/el-bandoneon-en-el-tango/ Cheers Gen