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Something else you might try is to bring the strap behind the thumb to a new attachment point so it crosses the hand close to the wrist. I use the closest fret end bolt for an anchor (temporary, no modification required) and turn the strap end back under the base of the thumb to form a comfortable cradle.

That's interesting. I know that playing with dancers greatly influences my playing ( on fiddle, so far). I wouldn't have expected a more linear approach but it makes sense thinking about it. Thanx.

Do you (or anyone else here) play Tango for/with dancers?

Depends on how many of them turn.

My dad's theme song from 70 years ago, Stupid now perhaps, but a delight as a child! To complete the verse: " I likes to go swimmin' with bare naked wimmin'. I'm Popeye the sailor man...Toot Toot! ?

Yah, too many cooks spoil the broth. One might suggest a round robin style session where a tune is played around the group and accompaniment is limited to the musician just finishing up the melody and/or instruments other than the current lead.

I'm curious as to the wood species and ornamentation process. It looks to me like a walnut veneer over some other wood (boxwood?). The veneer being etched to enhance the fretwork and effect the floral border. The insides look rather newish.

Are you singing these songs (hopefully)? If so, find the key that is comfortable for your voice. For accompaniment, a simplified melody and a rolling drone bass line would compete less with the vocals and you could then hoist 'er up and "haul away" between verses. This is (was) a work song. An oom-pah in 6/8 time would've sent these poor souls to Davy Jones in short order! ?

Your desire for something with history and character should weigh heavy on your decision. Learn as much as you can and play a few. I think those old Lachenals are a great deal if you know what to look for.

Are brass reeds really so objectionable? When these early instruments were made was brass considered inferior or simply a " somewhat quieter" option?

Great looking, great sounding, nice size! I can imagine a couple Micky Mouse ear bump outs for my fiddle case......?

Thanks squeez. my 53 button Wheatstone /Jeffries (C centered) has empty slots in the reed pan to make it a 58 but there are several ways to fill it out as per different makers.

That looks like a dandy! I have a couple questions.... I don't see an air button. Is there a thumb key left side that would be E or something else? what's the size across the flats? Polly Clap shows a 58 b box in her article in concertina .com. does your layout differ from hers correspondingly of course?

I agree and I think it's because if you play as fast as you can, speed is no longer a variable to consider. Happened to me attempting Blue Grass fiddle.

This is a valid point. Some dance styles do beg for speeds higher than many of us are comfortable with or find tasteful. This generally involves some form of clogging or other footwork. Our Kentucky running set and Quebecois step dance sets are further examples. Then of course, there's the American "participatory music " form involving fist pumps, "Yee Haws!" and beer chugging, not necessarily in that order.

When playing more than one tune for a dance be mindful not to start out too fast with jigs and marches. Even though the dancers may be able to cope with the pace, a subsequent reel will sound forced and frantic.

I believe it to be the original setup. I replaced the straps on mine ( cut them myself) and the originals certainly looked all of 100 years old. They seem a bit fiddly to be sure but have stood the test of time and are very functional. My Wheatstone with the Ivory (or whatever) thumb docks is much less comfortable to play. Looks great but poor ergonomic design ( in my opinion and for my style of play).

The arrangement with the double screw plates and metal palm rests is identical to mine which lacks the thumb screw however.

Aside from the metallurgical considerations above, is it possible that when playing you subconsciously settle in to a generally uniform attack whereas the less frequently visited lower register requires a slightly different focus to sound well? Put another way, are these reed anomalies an artifact of a some what "one size fits all" approach?.......?

I'd say General discussion. It's top o' the list and probably gets the most "reeds".

I assumed you meant anglos but wanted to clarify because both Wheatstone and Jeffries made duets and Wheatstone made at least a few with a Jeff pattern. I have one and it has enough variation from the standard Jeffries duet to make your question relevant for these instruments.....?

Anglo's?

I agree on changing Instruments. Unless "ritual dancing" specifically requires concertina accompaniment, I'd go with something like a kalimba, perhaps with a metallic or plastic sound box. My wife participates in "ecstatic dance" which is concertina specific. It requires me not playing one.

Variation for the most part is in the overlap zone and in the low notes. The usual LH F# thumb key is sometimes relocated to LH top left. Interesting article by Polly Clapp www.concertina.com.

Centered on C seems to be the convention although I think it's rather arbitrary for the Jeff duet. The mid C octave is split between left and right for a standard 51 key instrument so you must switch hands at some point when playing most melodies. This seems to complicate harmonies, although the center overlap allows some options in this regard. Playing in F or B flat is actually easier than C as complete octaves fall to either hand in the mid range, however you find yourself yearning for a base note in either of these keys. In fact my 53 button Wheatstone example drops the low G in favor of B and B flat. There are several variations of low note configurations by different makers and of different sizes, presumably to facilitate play in certain keys on an otherwise chromatic instrument. Much of this may apply to other duet systems but I have no experience with these.