Rhomylly

SHRIEK!!!!! You're getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How utterly awesome. Couldn't happen to a nicer person! Alas, no NESI for me this year. New house, new town, gotta finish school.

You know, a lot of concertina players also play melodeon, or looking at that differently, a lot of melodeon players also play concertina, indeed I suspect a lot more of us are already members of Melodeon.net than you realise... Which might seem ironic, in light of what you've been saying there: Well, that would include me tho' I spend less and less time on the other due, in part (or mainly!), to the palpable lack of irony that prevails there... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C#² - probably the best key in the world... Then again, you've complained about the lack of levity on Melodeon.net too - so maybe it's a forum for comedians that you need to find ? (Though, at the end of the day, they're usually a pretty sad bunch... ) Lang may yer lum leak! I didn't realize we were expected to be ironic, or funny, or witty here. I thought we were here to discuss squeezeboxes. Silly me.

Yeah, my dad warned me about playing tabor pipe in the car when he gave me mine. For all that, I did practice scales at lights...

God help you, indeed. CAD (Concertina Acquisition Disorder) is far, far more expensive than WhOA (Whistle Obsessive Acquisition disorder). I'm just sayin'

Pretty much any 30-button C/G is going to have the C# you need to play in the key of D. Where is this shanty band you speak of?

David, Good news: When I got my Edgley, it was July. Bad news: I had it delivered to my job, and had to wait until I got home from work!

I totally want one of those Homeland Security shirts!

Only every time! Which is why I never do it...extra kudos to you for playing through the choke!

Very nice! I didn't notice any mistakes....

3. I guess that would depend on your vocal range. If you're a baritone or a bass, it should work fine!

Out of curiosity, DO actual Irish sessions play so many medleys? I thought the site was a wee bit medley friendly -- but still good! (and I can't believe how fast it plays "Off to California"!)

I guess I missed the earlier discussion. I have bookmarked the site, and can't wait to try it out! This is too cool!

I will certainly do that! I'd love to carpool!

I suppose that could depend on your definition of what constitutes a "piano accordion", but I'd have said concertina by nearer to 70 years! It said piano keys with bellows. Could be mistaken, though, after all, it is the internet.

After pondering with my spouse which is older -- the concertina or the piano accordion (PA, by 7 years), I looked it up on the internet and found this little gem: The cheng is in fact the first known instrument to use the free vibrating reed principle, which is the basis of the accordion's sound production. Shaped to resemble the phoenix, the cheng had between 13 and 24 bamboo pipes, a small gourd which acted as a resonator box and wind chamber, and a mouthpiece. Other instruments using a free vibrating reed were developed in ancient Egypt and Greece, and were depicted in many beliefs. I think the author meant "depicted in many reliefs." As in carvings. I know my concertinas exist, I don't need to believe in them! Anyway, I thought it was amusing. And apparently I can't spell this morning!

Hi Selena! I started on a Hohner, and since there were no other concertina players near me, I found a couple of books to be really helpful. One is the Mel Bay's Deluxe Concertina Book by Frank Converse. No matter what you end up playing, this book covers the basics. This and other books can be found here: http://www.buttonbox.com/booktutor.shtml#anglo20 Hope this helps --

He's also on both Friends of Fiddlers Green albums -- great pub songs, and some awesome concertina playing!

Bob is the winner! It is, indeed, Bashful. According to God (as depicted in Holy Grail), He misplaced the Grail.

I hate to disabuse the seller of his lofty ideas, but as the mother of a 3-year-old who is obsessed with Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, I must tell him that that is not a pirate accordion, it's a dwarf accordion! Er, in more ways than one! Trivia question (and no looking it up on YouTube allowed!): Which dwarf plays the concertina?

I was all registered for Noel's 2004 midwest school (I was still living in MO at the time), but quickly realized that it coincided with the week we were moving to New Mexico, and that at 4 1/2 months' pregnant, it was just more than I wanted to handle. Maybe next year, now that I'll be closer! Or maybe the Milwaukee Irish Fest. Or the St. Louis Tionol. Or some combination of all of the above!

Don't forget the Yelgde concertina! Very Danish-sounding!

David -- I do play Irish music. I hope to master John Williams' DVD in prep for an in-person lesson or two. In general, I expect my repertoire to expand to seafarin' music and polkas. I'm good with that. It will be odd, though, after 4 years of worrying about humidifying my instruments in high-altitude New Mexico, to worry about de-humidifying. Any suggestions? Edited for spelling.

The Jack was too big for me to handle the bellows as much as I'd have liked -- I also have really small hands, even for a female.

Oh, that's a beautiful comment! But somehow, I don't think the seller gets the joke...

I agree. The Jackie (or Jack) would be my first choice, more because of better construction than because of price. I had a Jack for a while -- I loved the sound, but it was just too big an instrument for me. Unless you want to learn how to repair antique concertinas before you learn how to play them, I'd stay away from ebay.