Dirge

Listening to the Jean Megley stuff now. I always thought he was a bit good.

Just worked it out, Al. Corse you can!

Duet Recordings Page Alan? Wossat? But probably! And thank you Ken and to you.

Hallo friends, nice to hear from you all. I am still playing 'the Caledonian' Geoff, and always remember to be grateful to you when I do! My playing has dropped off a lot since the Duet International days though and I need to get down to some serious practice again. (Life has been distracting me from the important things.) What I have been doing is playing my small aeola with a band, so improvising bluesy sort of stuff which is taking me into another new field for me. One day I will get the big one out and move up to this job too but for the moment the accidentals of a 50key are enough to get my head round, especially when I'm playing standing and trying to sing some of the time too. With a brass reeded 46 Lach that Mike swapped out the low C sharp for a D as my 'rough and tumble' concertina (gets taken on sailing holidays, that sort of thing) that's the proposed long term stable previously mentioned. As I said, great to hear from you all.

(Can't we edit posts these days?) Anyway it's a 56 key Lach (including air) and I found it in one of C Algar's old docs here. I see it would have cost you £18 3s 6d including the nickel ends.

I'm having a rationalisation, cutting back to the 3 instruments I actually use. I'm in NZ but coming over to England in early May. I'm planning to bring the 2 big duets with me then if not sold previously. Please understand I DO want to sell them, not hold out for top dollar. So... I have an 81 key aeola; No. 30398. (What's that, about 1930? Certainly none of your Chidley complications). Bought from Iris Bishop, who, I'm pretty sure, used to use Colin Dipper to maintain her instruments and sure enough the very fine original leather box has his sticker inside the lid. It's in excellent order, windtight and in modern tune and, more than anything, needs someone to love it and play it regularly. Wear on the plating in the usual places. Probably £2250's worth wouldn't you say? Come on then, twist my arm... Then I have a 50 key Lach' and YES the RH does go down to middle C. Very neat this; Mike Acott pulled it out of retirement and sorted it for me some years ago; it's about the size of a normal concertina 6 sided and steel ended. I had him put extra folds in the bellows. No box with this one. Theoretically a very useful GP 'box but not as subtle as the ol' long scale reeds though and I have never shaken it down and really got into the habit of playing it so it's still awaiting being run in. What do you think? £1500? ... or offers... A couple of tiddlers; a bottom of range 20 key anglo Lach; it's not windtight but the bellows look new and I suspect it's been done up and a pad has fallen off or something. The nice thing about this is it came from a NZ family who said it had been with them from new and has a battered but very authentic looking 'satchel' to carry it to the bush dances. £250? Finally the 'ol Lach 39 key duet. Unremarkable in very way but the bellows look saveable. With the std mahogany box. (By the way, I think these were made as melody instruments rather than for 'true duet playing' as the 46's on were) So there. Bargains galore! I look forward to fighting off the rush.

Hallo Ken, yes thanks music has been the (moderately) constant relief in all the recent tiresomeness. and I'm fine; NZ got away a lot better than most and until recently (omicron) life was close to normal, apart from not being allowed to go abroad. Being on an island in the middle of nowhere has its perks. Cheers Dirge

This has turned up I don't know much about Anglos but I'm guessing this is a good one so I thought I'd better pass the word. There are usually about 2 NZ$ to the £. You may have problems in that Trade Me used to be NZ only traders, (it's our local version of Ebay) but that has been relaxed to some degree certainly Aussies can buy; maybe others these days. I'm happy to help as long as you don't expect me to actually buy it for you on spec'... I have no use for an Anglo, not even one as alluring as this. (and I'm too far away to try it out for you)

Right I shall be back in Somerset in a week or so and would like to have another go at selling this. I have a forum member wanting to try it; she gets first go.

Hallo folks; although I still have the 'box and want to sell it, doing so would be difficult at the moment as it is still in Wells and I am back in NZ. I've decided to leave it until next year. (If anyone is really desperate you'd better email me...)

It's in Wells; but I'm on;ly there until sunday myself. I was going to leave it to deal with next year but if you can get over fairly fast pm me a phone no I'll ring you.

Hallo Wolf; thanks for the good wishes. If anyone is interested in the concertina contact me through the website.

Small at 6 3/4" across the flats but with 7 fold bellows and RH going down to middle C, so a really useful size and range, no. 3981 was fully rebuilt by Mike Acott last year for me but I did not really take to it (spoilt by a diet of aeolas!) so it's for sale for £1750. Donation to Cnet if it sells of course. It's still a bit stiff needing playing in, but ready to go and will benefit from being used regularly. It comes in a tin case made for a German thingy which does give it some pro tection. View/test run in Somerset, but don't leave it too long, it goes on ebay in a few days .

I just happen to have a 71 key Wheatstone aeola available...it's the one I used for many of the recordings I posted here years ago, A special lightweight model, never properly played in since Richard Evans (of Kookaburrah, a duet player) painstakingly set it up. DURAL, not just aluminium, ends and frames and not corroding in any way whatsoever! 71s are the best for grown men. 81s are beasts to heave around for anyone. I've got one and have to admit I use it very little. 67s are perhaps better if you aren't so physically strong but you miss air capacity and the bottom Fs . VGC genuine reason for sale, view in Marlow. I'd better think what I want for it,

If it were mine I'd play it until the alloy framed reeds cause trouble then worry about it. It may happen fairly soon but it may not, and even when one gives up it shouldn't damage anything else. Even then you'll still have the note the other way to finish the piece on.. Most repairers seem to have a store of spare reeds they can simply find replacements from. I'd do your basic recovery (as it sounds like this is part of the fun for you) then hand it over and let them find reeds and a spare button to match and tune it too. If you aim to play it yourself get the holes bushed as well, wood straight on bone rattles like old skellingtons. Wheatstone and Lach used aluminium in some lightweight instruments. Lach' ones (I think particularly the early ones) can corode frighteningly. There was an edeophone on Ebay some years ago that must have been a rather nice instrument once upon a time and coroded shoes had basically written it off. Rather sad. You don't say what notes they are. They may be a mod to add a couple of low bass notes, maybe done at the works. One is probably a D? I have a similar box (mine has brass reeds) and I don't remember a reed in the middle of the bass pan like that. I haven't had to look for a while mind you. You can do a lot with a 46. I have big duets for written music but often pick up a 46 for choice when I'm playing by ear.

I agree. My appreciation of my 46-key Hayden (Wheatstone, sorry John) went up enormously after I spent some time playing the Wheatstone 82 key Hayden that showed up at the Button Box some years ago. I remember describing it (the switch back to my 46) as "like playing a jet engine." OK I think this piece of stupidity does it. Cnet has changed recently; it used to be a very broad church. Now it seems to be concerned purely with rather unimaginative folk music. I don't feel I have anything to offer, or anything to gain, so I'll go and sit in a darkened room for a while instead. Paul, Ken, thank you so much for what was at one stage a real support line; there weren't many duet players but there were at least other concertina players and through you I learnt what they were up to, got in touch with them and have made many real friends. I have got a lot out of it and am grateful. I hope I put something back too. I'm not saying I'm going for good; who knows what may happen, but I think this is quite enough for the moment. Time for a break.

It's a nice cardigan.

Good that's all right then.

'Michael Sam Wild'. Usually a fairly lively member. Anyone seen him lately? Is he OK?

12.08 on the first of the first of 2014 here in NZ and I wish you all a most sincere happy new year. (Just to make those of you in the northern hemisphere sick, I'm still in shorts and T shirt)

Very nice (and very slick!) Randy but it reminds me irresistably of an early John Wayne film; can't remember exactly which but I think the US cavalry are waiting for the injuns to wipe them out tomorrow or something; there's some 'calm before the storm' evening shots and, as I remember it, you must have been playing just like this in the background. (It was probably really a harmonica really but you know how the mind plays tricks)

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge! Blimey yes. I must get round to looking it up. Roughly it means that your opinion is made of stern stuff indeed with which nature itself cannot contend. Blimey again. My man, we are living in a world full of mystery, spectacle, and the unfathomable. Blimey, indeed... Gosh.

That's all good stuff and your enthusiasm is great! Your beast's range may make the piano music frustrating, you'll have to move the bass up a lot. Don't dismiss kids' music. The convention for writing it seems to be that children don't have big reaches so the music stays closer to the middle of the keyboard. Although a lot of it is painful 'Faeries Dancing In A Ring' stuff it isn't all like that. I've done well from 'Classics for the Very Young' sort of books. Then don't forget to look at guitar and, it appears now, banjo music too, as well as any other chording instrument just in case. (you too can learn to swear fluently at 'tabs'). There's no real repertoire for a duet so you have to find it. Great Xmas present. Lucky man.

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge! Blimey yes. I must get round to looking it up. Roughly it means that your opinion is made of stern stuff indeed with which nature itself cannot contend. Blimey again.

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge! Blimey yes. I must get round to looking it up.