John Wild

I think you need two compartments in your brain, so that you can think of them as separate instruments. When switching from one to the other it is as different as switching from either one to a an accordion or bandoneon.

Thank you Wes.

I have been asked for help in dating a concertina inherited from grandparents. Naturally, I thought of this forum topic as my first port of call. It is a Lachenal 48-button English concertina, serial number 50279. Scrolling throught his topic, I have found No.44289 c.1905, and 52593 c.1911. Assuming an even rate of production, I would calculate this one would date from 1908-09. Is it possible to be more precise? I have not (yet) seen the instrument or photos. Thank you, John Wild.

I have 3 other Welsh tune books which may be of interest. They are all pocket tune books (Llyfr alawon poced) edited and arranged by Robin Huw Bowen. 1. Llewlyn Alaw LLyfr Alawon poced 2. Mary Richards Darowen LLyfr Alawon poced 3. John Parry Ddall Rhiwabon LLyfr Alawon poced At the time of publication (1990-91) contact details were given as:- Gwasg Teires, Arfryn, Moreia, Capel Seion, Aberystwyth, Dyfed, SY23 4EA. Tel. 0970-611-109

Hello Dave. I may have misunderstood the point i was replying to, but I think I was saying the same as you in essence. I understood the suggestion was to remove the reeds only, and I suggested that alone would not make much difference to the weight. The reed frames and everything else would still be there. Sorry if I have misunderstood what was being said.

I suspect removing the reeds only would not make much difference to the weight. You would still have a larger instrument in its larger frame. There is the question of the overall size needed to accommodate extra reeds/reed chambers.

For a time I had a full 48-button double action bass. Its main drawback was that it was much heavier than a single action. If you can get a double action bass with a reduced range, maybe 36-buttons, that would be more manageable.

Thank you Alex. I do not want to cause problems for anyone, especially concertina.net I think it best to remove the file I posted earlier. I'm not sure if I will be here to celebrate my 113th birthday in 2062, so I might delegate the task of adding it back then to someoene else.🙂 If anyone shows definitely that there is no copyright problem I can add back the attachment

I have this version of La Vie en rose. I'm not sure of the copyright situation - this post may need to be removed.

I have saved the file as a PDF, and attach that format here. I have added Geoff's initials at the end of the filename to indicate the origin. Mini English Observations 2021 GC.pdf

I was recently encouraged to open a Soundcloud account, which I had not previously considered. For better or worse, I have taken the plunge. I have uploaded only two tracks, both recently recorded. https://soundcloud.com/user-344117058/bridge-over-troubled-water-may-21 https://soundcloud.com/user-344117058/hens-march-to-the-midden Please listen if you will, or ignore if you will. Regards, John Wild

Steve's figures are broadly correct. When I was involved in a similar transaction some years ago, the import tarriff was 3.8%. It may have changed since them. It is important to know that the 20% VAT is calculated on the purchase price PLUS the import duty.

At the beginning, try playing sitting with one end resting on one knee. Experiment with which knee and which end suits you. Later when you have some expreience you may revisit playing standing if you wish. Many players, even with experience, always play seated with one end on a knee.

I have a version of the hens' march to the midden. This usually causes amusement played live but might fall a bit flat with just the sound file. The chickens seems to get a bit muddled near the end. Sorry about that. Hen's march - Copy.mp3

I remember that. The Doncaster Citadel had a quartet not a full band if I remember correctly. The lead player was Mildred Stringer. I believe she was later recorded for the ICA sound archive.