cnrobinson

It is now available on CD. If anyone wants to pay me $30 (well the equivalent in GBP)I also have the LP. Chris

John Spiers. He's pretty good! However if you see him 'live' with Jon Boden he plays the 'tina quite a lot more than he does with Bellowhead. Chris

http://www.merlinmusicmelrose.co.uk/catalog/5 Has anyone come across these before? The english looks like the Hohner, but I wonder if they are the same instrument! Chris

Sheer genius! Chris

Yes, Jim, I know the difference between hand straps and wrist straps, but the description is so vague that they could be confused. I think pictures would be very useful, in as much as it would eliminate at least a few variables! Chris

Could it be a 'lower' register english? Didn't some of them have fewer keys and wrist straps? Chris

Does anyone run courses in concertina maintennance and repair in the UK? Preferably in the London/South East! My son is doing a degree in musical instrument making (specialising in guitar-type instruments, but I would like him to be able to keep my concertinas up to scratch). Chris

I have a Wheatstone piccolo (6-sided, metal ends from 1910). The buttons are the same spacing and size. It just plays an octave higher, so I assume the reeds are smaller, hence the diminutive size!

I used to have a beautiful French hurdy-gurdy (vielle a roue) which I could only play when she-who-must-be-obeyed was out. The neighbour knocked on the door to complain that our boiler was making a funny noise. Was it about to blow up she asked. I sold it and went back to the concertina. Chris

I have never been too bad in public - the odd wrong note here or there doesn't really matter - but put me in front of a microphone.......... Chris

There were actually TWO anglos at the Proms last night. Bella Hardy had a concertina accompanist (and a harp), though I can't remember his name. John Spiers appeared to be using AKG mics like mine! Very good concert (Martin Simpson was excellent) but the BBC TV broadcast ended before Bellowhead did their encore(s). The radio broadcast the first encore, but I have a suspicion that Bellowhead did more than one! Anyone know? Chris

It does look like a Jeffries, and she actually looks like she is playing it even if it is not on the soundtrack! Does anyone know who she is? Chris

I always swore by the Accusound system from Griff Jones in Lutterworth, Liecs. He uses AKGs. I believe he is/used to be a member of this forum. Chris

A very interesting programme! Does anyone remember a world service broadcast called 'The Concertina takes a bow'? It went out in1994, the producer was Emma Dyer. Excellent, with the likes of Alistair Anderson in it. A freind of mine was working at the Beeb at the time and got me a tape. Chris

With regards to Piazzolla, from the one time I saw him play and from the interview on the DVD I've got, he seemed to play almost exclusively on the draw, using the air buttons on both sides to close the bellows sufficiently at the end of a line, so to speak. In the interview he demonstrates how to play a scale - all on the draw - and then explains that the layout for the notes makes push/pull quite awkward for his style of playing. Chris

Hm, very interesting. I, of course, play an octagon. So no zombie then! Chris

I have No. 151. I bought it on e-bay as a travel concertina as it is so light! My best is a Crabb, thogh I also have a Wheatstone Piccolo. Most of the time I play the Morse just because of the mellow tone and the wheight. So that is three down, and a Baritone, we should have a complete log soon. Chris

As yet another Chris I felt it my duty to add my name to the list. Chris.

Hm. Well in the same way that St. Irfry is the patron saint of Chinese take-aways, and St. Reatham is the patron saint of SW London, maybe St. Ickingbuttons should be the patron saint of concertina players. Chri

I've tried several systems over the years. First off I used tie-clip electret mics, (dead cheap), using a 2-1 adaptor (also cheap!). I attached these to the thumb straps of my English and to the hand straps of my freinds anglo. They worked a treat except that the thin wires tended to get caught under chairs etc and stopped working. Also the deaf-aid batteries used to run out, I always had to carry spares. On the plus side they also worked fine on fiddles, guitars etc. We tried them on our wrists but they were too far away from the business end of the 'tinas to work efficiently. I suppose melodeons are slightly different. We also tried conventional mics on mic stands but there you could deffinately tell when you were pushing or pulling by the volume. We never found a difference with the tie-clips over the span of the notes (ie that soe where nearer to the mic than others) as the distance seemed to be within the range of the mics, if you see what I mean. In the end I ended up with two AKG modified electrets using an AKG pre-amp (in one pocket) and a Nady true diversity radio system (in the other) as this eliminated the problem of the damaged wires! Chris

I assume that people just put them there and take pictures of them, right? Brilliant! Chris

I was going to go with one of the crustaceans, such as Kings or Charing (zoological railway joke, you have to say it). But no, 'Red sky at night, Shepherds delight, Red sky at morning, Shepherds warning, Big roundabout and lots of traffic.... Shepherds Bush' Chris

'Late Arrivals' as well as 'Mornington Crescent' ! Will this never end. Just so long as we don't get Mr. and Mrs. Janus and their son Hugh. I'll try Mincing Lane. Chris

I got a bit lost there for a momment. Where were we? Ah yes, King Geoge V. Either a subtle move from an astute player, or, more possibly, a complete red herring from a pollack. Billingsgate. Chris