wunks

I find that if your resting ( anchoring ) on the left knee, a looser strap and cutaway rest with bearing on the pinky side works great but a more tightly bound RH is fine.

End grills?

What interests me is the bellows. They look like some industrial bellows I've been curious about. I wonder if that could be a functional and time saving approach for a serious instrument/

That's a tricky tune even on the fiddle! 😃

Memories!

That's a good thought. I'll be talking with Bob Snope shortly, and I'll broach the subject if no one beats me to it.

Bonaparte's retreat? Nice fiddle tune with drones....😃

I don't think automatizing a tune is enough. What to do if you get lost or hit a wrong note? I play several instruments but none will produce the level of consternation a concertina will elicit if you suddenly find yourself in the wrong row. Playing harmonies helps if only slight touches and improvising on the fly with small variations does as well. One needs to know the instrument on a deeper level to play with confidence when out and about.

Might it have to do with the squared reed shoe slots?

Gary, I agree that 50 buttons 61/4" is great for the JD. I've figured out a simple reversible mod that solves several issues of playability and gains a few extra low notes as a bonus depending on how far one wants to go with it. If you're interested I'll send you an email. If there is other interest I'll start a new thread.

When I asked my childhood friend who had gone on to be a published poet and creative writing professor for advice, he said it's about communication with your intended audience, not a showcase for your talents. Drop the "I, me" for "we, us". And this from another poet whom I can't recall......."Only connect.". I believe this applies to all the Arts

So who's not paying attention to who? These people are dancing their 9 to five dance....12,12,12,12..in their own dance hall! While the intruder takes no cue whatsoever from their efforts. I'd wager if Josh struck up Marching through Georgia and called "Grand right 'n left through the hall!" now and then it would happen....😊

I've done some small venue performing including some busking, mostly pre-Woodstock, and experienced this sort of disgruntlement to the point of moving towards dance music. Expecting folks to break ranks and take those long lonely steps towards the collection box has always been a tough sell. All those seemingly obtuse passersby will instantly focus their attention on the transaction; Is it bills? How big? Loose change? Is there a thinly veiled sneer behind the busker's smile? People are complex. They'd sooner toss a buck to a clown or a jaunty hat or even a monkey holding a can. "I want to be taken seriously for my music!" and "If you're a serious musician, what you doing out in the street?" are not easily reconciled. Some few can do it though, even without props.

If none of the above apply, play for/with dancers! They always listen....😊

A regular item in the news cycle here (USA) is the miming street violinist. We're supposed to be outraged at such solicitation of funds under false pretense, but we give a pass to lip-syncing rock bands, solo performers with back up tracs and such. Canned music is everywhere, it is what it is. Put on a goofy hat and enjoy the show !

I have limited experience with other instruments but I do have both a Jeffries duet and a Wheatstone JD. I play a wide range of music at I would say an intermediate/improving level. I'm playing some classical and I find the Wheatstone to be reedier and preferable to the Jeffries which has a much clearer sound. I think it would depend on the piece though. Think oboe as opposed to French horn. In addition the Wheatstone is chromatic down to the cello Bb which is advantageous, while the Jeffries skips down to low G. I know you're talking anglos but I hope this helps.

I've just been contemplating such an instrument having recently acquired a beautiful silver(ish) tipped (both ends) rosewood (ebony?) whistle at a local shop. Its appointed like a fife but the whistle mouthpiece twists for tuning. Bb when reasonably snug. Since I play mostly on the left hand, and I have 2 octaves in Bb, I wonder....🤔

Without delving too deeply into the physiology involved (careful, there's a can of worms lying about...😄) , it might be helpful to remember that the hands serve at the pleasure of the two halves of the brain generally, left brain/right hand, right brain /left hand and that these two brains are much more complex in their differences than our hands are.

Wait for it. Someone is sure to throw Italian made boxes into the mix.....oops...😏

All of the above but some things that work for me on the Jeffries: -Play as much of the melody as possible with the left hand working into the overlap zone including the melody notes in the chord structure. Chase the melody with the harmony. -Use the overlap zone like an EC for a smoother transition of the melody to the right hand. -As the melody moves higher on the scale, use more base runs rather than block chords. -Use the low octave note for harmony. It may be louder but seems to compete less. -Use three finger combinations surrounding but not simultaneous with the embedded melody note.

So you're referring to internals. Are we then supposed to take them apart to properly designate them? My illogical take is that "Anglo" or "Anglo German" is an acceptable, adequate and conventional usage to in a general sense visually differentiate between types.

Clive, I think wrongly is too strong a word. There seem to be different standards for different types of music and for different audiences. I don't quite understand why but when I work on playing the "Bee's Wing" I fret over not getting it exactly as written but with "Fishers" I'm shamelessly all over the place. We contra dance musicians take vast liberties with all kinds of tunes but my (limited) experience with Morris and English Country Dancing is of a much stricter approach. When I listen to a Bach sarabande as played by some utube virtuosos, It sounds interesting but lifeless to me. I can't help hearing it as dance music and the way I'm playing it would get me thrown off the stage and into the back row of the orchestra pit!

It's nearly the same as the refrain for "The Old Chilsom Trail", as I recollect any way...

Not only, but that's my go to for a non competitive back up. It's probably because (1) I learned fiddle in a Quebecois style with an up bow/lift on the down beat for a strong accent. This up bow becomes the return (air) stroke for my down beat chug which I play as a down bow with the very tip. (2) Most of my playing has been for dance music with a piano or upright string bass which need little help hammering out the down beat line. It's something I instinctively began doing also to complement the vocalist in a discreet manner. On the duet concertina I like to play with the melody centered in the overlap zone rather than right lead, left accompaniment. Using the zone I can generally have enough free fingers (2) for my chug and I'm getting so I can tap a bass lead as well.

I'm not a facebook subscriber or a fettler but I see on Facebook Marketplace this morning someone is selling a quantity of leather "sides" including goat skins in Bridgeport NY which is north of Syracuse NY. It says pick up only, probably a long shot but who knows?