Rhomylly

there are also yahoo groups dedicated to the accordion. they seem to be pretty chatty...

I couldn't agree more. However, I stil have to stop and think if someone says -give me an A etc. I do. too. But not for as long as I used to

I agree, too! I had a very wise musician friend tell me, "When you're just starting out, don't even worry about note names. Just focus on, 'this note on this line is this button/action.' Note names will come later." He was quite right.

I am panting.

I'm in exactly the same position for exactly the same reasons. Right now my solution is to learn baritone English, which I am slowly struggling with. I'm nowhere near accompanying myself on a song -- just getting through a C scale is accomplishment enough for this week! I also heard a rumor that one concertina maker *might* consider making baritone anglos if enough people asked about them. Email me offlist and I'll tell you which one!

Welcome aboard, Corbin! My Stagi held up very well while my Edgley was being made. ooooooh baritones oooooooooooh See, I have the disease, too!

Chain, you might also want to consider a 24-button Edgley (No, I don't work for Frank, I swear). I don't think mine is very heavy at all, and the layout has all the sharps and flats very conveniently placed. You can check it out for yourself when I see you in a few weeks!

I knew there was a reason I wanted to take up the melodeon! Right after I master the anglo, the English and the PA...in that order.

Allison, if it were me I'd park myself in front of John Roberts all day! His song accompaniment style being the one I most want to emulate, of course...

Lars, you just made me spew a mouthful of tea all over my computer! Those are PRICELESS!

Wow. Just...wow. That is one ugly cheap box.

I suspect, based on the slant of the questions *I* was asked, that the pastor runs the church where the reporter attends. Can't prove it, of course. Not only is he not affiliated with the university, he lives in the next town over, about 20 miles away. As far as I know, he does not play concertina. At least I hope not, he'd be giving concertina players a bad name, too! Every time there's an article in the local paper about something other than fundamental Christianity, some local pastor has to be contacted to give the "opposing viewpoint." When some students here tried to start a neo-Pagan group a couple years ago, same thing happened. When the gay and lesbian students sponsored an awareness day, same thing happened. We sigh and work that much harder to get out of this area as fast as possible. I'm loving that I'm not the only Buddhist (albeit a really bad one) concertina player. Actually, I'm a better concertina player than I am a Buddhist... Hey, if my spouse can be an heirloom tomato-gardener mage, my religion can be concertina! Noooo problem!

The Jack has arrived!!! and it is beautiful! And Big! And I am still undecided what to do about Magnolia Waltz

You have a lot of faith in me, Jim!

No, an old one, sadly. Paige died right after our daughter was born in late 2004. Hey, I LOVE my OHM key!!!

Er, that would be a "no".

Actually, I think hell would be getting stuck in a room with a novice uillean piper for all eternity...

Oops! I didn't mean "here" as in C-Net, I meant "here" as in the town I live in. Sometimes net life and real life get a little confuzzled...

Henk, I have no idea what that's based on, other than his own rabid beliefs, which unfortunately are shared by many many people around here. Everyone knows that concertina-playing Buddhists are just playing the Devil's music!!!

Since I'm damned to hell anyway, I might as well take my Edgley and my Jack with me. Oh wait, I'm going to Palestine, TX which is hilly and pretty and warm and green, not hell! I feel much better! Okay, seriously, here's my question. As you all probably know by now, I'm battling the damned er, working on the old-timey tunes for the SW Squeeze-in at the end of March. And as you all probably know, I am expecting delivery of my Jack English baritone either today or Tuesday. Problem: I have been playing anglo for the last 2 1/2 years. Problem: My anglo does not have all the accidentals I need to play one of the tunes. Magnolia's Waltz, to be specific. I'm missing the low G# below middle C. Ergo, it *might* be easier to try to play the tune on the Jack, even if it will all be an octave lower than for everyone else. I am a better musician than I was 2 1/2 years ago when I started playing concertina. I've gotten more adept at reading, at playing by ear, and I took a basic music theory class fall 2004. But I am, in all honesty, still very much a beginner. On the other hand, this is a totally new instrument with a totally different fingering system that I have not even tried . Is it total folly to try to get a piece of music, tune only, no chords or ornamentation, performance-ready on an instrument I currently do not know how to play -- in 5 weeks? Part of me is standing up and screaming, "DUH! Yes!" and part of me is thinking, "Hmm, would be a good stretch for you musician-wise." Which part should I heed?

No really, I am! says so right here: http://www.portales-news.com/engine.pl?sta...ll.html&id=7364 Damn shame the online version doesn't include the lovely photo of my Edgley (and crappy photo of me) that's in the paper. I'm actually a bit annoyed. Guess I don't like being told I'm going to hell first thing in the morning...

But I already learned the alto parts on the Edgley! (/end whine) Although I'm wondering if Magnolia Waltz wouldn't be easier on the English. My Edgley doesn't have that low G# and it's really throwing me off. Well, it looks like I'll have time to try it out and see! Edited to Add: Of course, it'd all be an octave lower than everyone else, but that's probably okay!

Hooray! I just bought a gently used Jack baritone from a fellow c-netter, with an expected delivery of Friday (but more reasonably Tuesday). I've been wanting to try English for years, and have been drooling at my monitor every time I go to the concertinaconnection site. I am so excited!

Haven't seen any personal attacks here...in quite a while. Haven't seen the free booze, either Hey, I come here to get away from the snarkiness I find elsewhere on the 'net. And I've never been disappointed by my time here.

c.net ate my beagle avatar. I'm not sure what happened. This is my dog Paige, who died just over a year ago.