Ed Ebel

Thanks for your response, Rod. Hope it goes alright. Ed

Hello, I am interested. Can you tell me if this is still available? I currently play Anglo and would like to learn English and be able to play more classical music. I also play violin and piano and am intrigued by the chromatic possibilities of the English system. Kind Regards, Ed

Hey Wunks...nice post. Look at any large orchestra...do we think that all the violinists, viola(ists?) and cellists are right handed? And yet, they are all playing the same way. And where are all those left-handed pianos? :-). If someone wants a left-handed concertina, just flip it around. And since both hands do exactly the same kind of action (unlike the violin or guitar), exactly what benefit would a left-handed concertina give?

Hey Sleepy...just one more word from a 45 year-playing violinist who “kind of” wasted two years with all the books you are using...Irish trad is way different in many ways from English and especially Morris. Not better or worse, but different. And the styles don’t really lend to crossing over. The books that I tried gave no help with lilt, or swing or cuts or rolls and triplets. The last two, the cuts and rolls and triplets are what give the irish tunes the “snap”. (You know...like in “That Thing You Do”...its got to be snappy.). Without that snap, its never going to sound quite right. And to be fair, Morris has snap as well, but the chords and tunes are really different. Also, I play on the left knee with the right arm working the bellows, and totally agree...watch out for right arm soreness, especially at the elbow. P.S. After struggling with no teacher for two years, I know how frustrating it can be to try to get stuff out of books. Books will never be able to tell you if you are playing with the right motion or give you other options. If you ever want to Skype I would be glad to share some of what I’ve learned in the past few years, including lessons with some really great players at Willy Clancy this year

Hmmm...on the push, the air is being pushed outwards and the note might sound louder. Other than that, whether using the push or draw to start the tune will depend on the key and the initial note or scale degree of that note. G tunes will usually start on G (tonic) or D (dominant). The G is usually played on the push (left hand) but the D can be either hand and will depend on the octave. For the key of D, the low D will most times occur on the draw, as will the higher D on the right hand. Regarding the violin, I play classical and trad and while the downbow is important in classical to emphasize the strong beats of the measure, this is not necessarily the case in trad music (which is what is usually being played with Anglo concertinas.) In Irish trad (and Scottish as well), jigs use a slurred bowing across the strong beats, even while the 1 and 4 sub-beats might be accented. This gives a very pleasing “swing”. Getting this same rhythm on the Anglo is very key to the “trad” feel. This swing is very evident in Mary MacNamara’s playing, and in the East Clare style in general. My best advice is to listen, and especially to the Clare players, East and West. Try some of the lessons on the Online Academy of Irish Music and try to find a teacher, live or Skype. Cheers

I went to a local camera shop which had a great selection of bags. I laid the concertinas out on the counter and explained what I needed. Attached is a photo of the Retrospective 30 bag with a standard size Anglo and a slightly oversize Jeffries. The fit is snug but is not a strain and there is no extra wasted space. The company is "ThinkTank". This may not work for everyone, and buying in the shop cost nearly $200. The case is heavy duty in all regards. Hopefully this will classify as the "personal item" as far as the airlines are concerned. (There is also a place for an iPad.) If anyone would like a few more photos, let me know. You can probably get more info from an online camera store.