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For goodness sake don't get your head involved! You instinctively know how to "pulse" and drive the rhythm. With fiddle, it's a little speed up and down pressure on the back beat and you can use it with a simple chord or drone to second almost anything...😊

Nice! I particularly like the way you add a beat with the bellows pressure while holding a note. It's quite close to a very useful dance fiddle technique.

Another thing that may help is to compose your own tunes, however simple. if you sit with your 'tina and create things together there seems to be a deeper "set" in your brain, perhaps because the tune is perceived as a whole rather than different parts that need to be joined together ( dots, fingerings, bellows movements etc.). At least that's how it works for me...🙂

Keep at the ones you know to be sure but continue to throw some new tunes in. When you start a brand new tune you make a quantum leap.

Perhaps related to this, I have two duets, one larger with thin tight bellows folds(7) the other a 6 1/4" with (6) thick sturdy folds. When at rest on a table the former remains tight as from its blocked case. The latter will expand of it's own about 1". I would call the one neutral, the other springy. I don't think about it but when I play the big box I play longer phrases in either direction and faster tunes are more difficult ( both boxes have basically the same notes). Playing the small one I find myself playing with the bellows in a very closed position with the instrument "playing i

A product called Moso Natural(bags) is available from Amazon. It's listed as being bamboo charcoal.

Odor eaters (shoe insoles)?

But it's an artificial and restrictive standard. Eg. if you don't play "Orange Blossom Special" at a BG fiddle contest, and play it as close as possible to the sterilized/stylized version favored by the "judges" your chances of taking home the "prize" are considerably lessened. The music is pulled out of the realm of functionality. once again, IMHO. I had a similar experience. I won the first and only fiddle contest I entered at around age 19 and earned $50 bucks, endless squabbling over how to split that with the piano player, a disastrous interview for a TV show and the undying

No, in my humble opinion, but human nature will make it so regardless.

Thanx Gary. Stuart's observation fits it exactly. Some times I start playing a tune and I don't even know what key I'm in. The instrument just guides me along.

I no longer have an edit option to add the other b to Crabb. Why is that?

I wouldn't say odd except in comparison with other systems. The logic is different, more like a piano and lends itself well to playing by ear. I remember Neville Crab telling me when I was looking for my first box and had little money that it didn't matter much which system you started with and I believe he was right....😉

There's a Marcus 30button C/G on the western Mass. Craigslist that's been there for a while at a very good price if it checks out. Right in your back yard if you're here in New York. I've no affiliation with the seller. 🙂

That's the best any of us can aspire to. Thanks for the holiday wishes and the same to you and yours...😊 Peace,Health and Harmony, Erik

Thrift store belt offerings.....🙂