Aldon Sanders

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies! I've taken a look at the current prices of Crane duets and noticed how steep they are. They also seem rather rare. The Hayden systems that I found were either low-end or way out of my price range. I played EC at church on a couple of hymns the last two Sundays. I conduct the orchestra (a very small orchestra) and used the EC as a solo instrument for intros. I play the soprano & alto parts straight off the piano chart and only add the tenor harmony as needed or if the opportunity arises. It's been working well. I think the EC will fill my needs for now, but I still want a duet!

There's Smythe Accordion in Oakland, California. That's the only one I know of.

Thank you Wolf. I'll research the larger Cranes' note chart. A larger instrument makes sense because of the need for the chromatics. Many hymns are in Db and Ab and I'd really love to play them straight off the dots and have some sense of organization. (I have looked at the layout of the basic SA Triumph, hoping they were on to something, but saw how haphazzard the notes were. Several key notes were missing on the LH, and according to the chart I saw the button layout for the RH is also 'upsidedown', with the higher notes toward the handstrap and the lower notes on top! Hopefully the Crane will be a better fit.) Thanks again. Aldon

Hi. It's been several years since I've been by this forum. During the time I've been gone I played my 64 button Wheatstone English in a group that specializes in American music of the 1850s. It was fun but not very profitable. My regular gig is as an ukulele soloist and since this is my off season I've been enjoying reading through tune books on my English. I've also been playing out of a hymnbook for the 2 part (sometimes 3 part) harmonic arrangements. What I really want to do is read through SATB hymn arrangements and play them straight off the dots with the full harmony. That lead me to thinking about duet concertinas. Do any of the duet systems allow for playing straight off of the piano score without having to adapt the piece to fit the system? If not, what system would be the most appropriate? Thanks for your time & insights, Aldon Sanders