Theodore Kloba

Oh yeah, it is! I guess I'll have to find some incongruous music to dub onto a real contradance video, and choose an animal to handle the vocals.

Except maybe for the one I posted back in June... Seriously though, you're right.

I added a quick-and-dirty take of " " (also on Tune-O-Tron) to the group.

For those who only travel occasionally, an oversized cardboard box with padding to contain a good hard shell case would also work, and might not look worth stealing. I think these discussions about "Pluto being downgraded" are ridiculous. Nobody's doing anything to Pluto at all. It's just that the technical definition of "Planet" as used by astronomers is being narrowed and it will no longer apply to Pluto.What I really want to know is, if Pluto is a dog: Then what is Goofy? I've always been partial to "Mars". Maybe I'll work on that one.

Did you ever notice that when you search eBay for "concertina" you get a zillion non-concertina search results that are all auctions from dangleberry-music? Did you also know that including the word "concertina" in the descriptive text of non-concertina items just to draw traffic to those items is against eBay's policy regarding keyword spam? Help me (and anyone searching eBay for concertinas) by reporting this seller to eBay. All the way at the bottom, below the bidding section, under What else can you do? click on Report this item and follow the instructions.

Yes it does, and not just in the count of buttons in each row, but also the numbering system. If it were an expanded version of any of the Chemnitzer/Scheffler/Karlsfelder systems, some of the higher-numbered and "fraction" buttons would be located differently, as well as the "coda/circled plus" symbol. ⊕

As of last week, Add South Carolina to the list of flight destinations and North Carolina to driving destinations. I took my small bandonion (with new case by Greg Jowaisas). Even though the case was slightly bigger that the officially allowed size (in one dimension), I had no problems carrying on. The overhead bins on an Embraer 170 are tiny, but the instrument fit. On the flight out from O'Hare, the screener swabbed it for some sort of chemical test. Then she asked me how old it was, whether it was in my family or purchased, and whether I knew how to play. On the return flight (from Myrtle Beach), the bandonion didn't even get a second look, although the people at baggage check-in asked my wife some questions about her guitar (musician questions, like "what model is it?") and reminded her to loosen the strings. It sounds like international air travel (except maybe from the UK) is returning to "normal." I just spoke with a friend who recently returned to Chicago from Barcelona; he had the normal amount of carry-on luggage, and small quantities of liquid personal care items.

No, but how about: Franz Bunzel playing "Aloha Oe" on bandonion? From Die Konzertina in Franken, which is experiencing serious broken links due to server reorganization.

Without hearing it, I would guess that it's a Kusserow layout. I also noticed that Harry Geuns has asked the seller a question, so maybe he could confirm.

I never begrudge anyone acting in self-interest. Acting for the benefit of others, or for the common good is an ideal we aspire to, something we encourage. The moment it becomes a requirement, you have to submit to someone else's idea of what the public interest really is. Definitely the people most seriously affected are those who have already made travel plans or are already traveling. For those about to plan, it's just another factor to affect your decision regarding how (whether) to travel. And by not concerning ourselves with those more badly affected, we're acting in self-interest... I think it's just the surprise-- people with small instruments have to make an adjustment to their routine, and maybe purchase a flight case. They're probably bleating because their superiors are expecting them to actually complete some tasks with that laptop while they're in transit. Well if your whole family are musicians (as are mine) and are strewn across a continent (as are mine), taking away their instruments during visits has the psychic effect of making them wear burqas. No they didn't have to move so far away, but when they did move, air travel was easier. Almost rightly. They should take all appropriate steps. I think the main reason people object is that it's hard to imagine that the implemented security measures are really appropriate and effective. Maybe they truly are appropriate, but it's hard to imagine how. On US domestic flights, they have banned gel insoles in shoes. Why not just train security staff how to tell when the cushioning gel has been replaced with an explosive agent?

Kangaroo is just one of their products; they also have hairsheep and cow leather. I have been trying to get my squeezebox wiki going for some time now. Please contribute there if you like.

Bb A F# B There's no need for an airtight seal between the end and any other parts; the critical seal is between the valveboard and bellows frame. You may also find it worthwhile to install some threaded metal inserts in the screw holes, and replace the screws with machine bolts. This way the wood won't become stripped. (You're likely to open and close it many times in the process of repair/restoration). The leather you have may not be appropriate: the tanning chemicals used may react with the zinc plates; this is not an issue in English-construction concertinas where the leather is attached only to the valveboard, and not directly to the reed frame. If you expect to replace many of the valves, I would suggest getting them from an accordion parts supply, as accordion valves are perfectly suitable, so long as you get the right sizes. If you're replacing all of them, I might even suggest using "ventile", which are made of mylar rather than leather, and therefore resist shrinkage and curling. See here for an example: http://www.geocities.com/shublom/supplies.html I buy leather for replacing gaskets and hinges from Columbia Organ.

I've taken mine on road trips around Illinois and to Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming. By plane they've made it to Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Arizona. I've never experienced damage, but I've been a bit fanatic about packing methods when checking them. I used to be able to take my medium-sized Chemnitzers/Bandonions as carry-on, but most domestic carriers have reduced the allowable size of carry-on baggage making that impossible. For my next trip, I'm taking my smallest Bandonion which just got a new case. I hope the recent "changes" in air travel security will not force me into checking it. Hmm... Maybe it is a Bush conspiracy after all...

So you're from Taxachusetts... Anybody who visits Illinois knows our motto is, "Pay toll ahead."

What you have is a standard Chemnitzer in the key of Bb (A.K.A. "5 press G"). Your instrument sounds a whole tone flat of what's notated on the standard chart.

I only understand a little German, but as near as I can tell, the first two labels (nearly identical text) say that Eschenbach was a manufacturer and distributor of all kinds of instruments. Most likely he didn't make them all. The third label is a maintenance instruction; it explains how to get dust out from the reeds, check condition of the leathers, and realign a reed to the plate if it is rattling, etc.

Historically, I think shellac was used. I have used the "felt & leather glue" from the same supplier I mentioned earlier. It's likely caused by weak springs. It could also be that the wooden levers have warped over time and the pallets no longer align with the holes in the valveboard, or the leather on the pallets has gotten old. I've replaced it on all my older instruments. I'm not sure what you mean by "squeaky." Could be a number of things. In Maria Dunkel's Bandonion und Konzertina there is no mention of him. The case might not be from the same company that built the instrument. There are a few listed from Markneukirchen: Pfretzschner (about 1928), Schuster (from 1867), Stark (about 1898). I would suggest Patek, Pearl Queen, Star, International, Sitek, Glass. Many of these builders also made instruments with wooden action early in their action, so ask the seller. Some of them also made instruments with true accordion reeds (i.e. two tongues per plate, waxed onto removable blocks) during the 1950s-1980s. Make sure to ask whether the instrument has "long-plate" reeds. Hengel and Echo concertinas are still made, but not likely to turn up used. There are some Italian makes out there that have very a nice action, but are usually very heavy and I don't care for the tone.

I've seen some similar scenes while waiting to board. BTW, Molly: I noticed you're from Orcas Island. Do you happen to know (mandolin player & recording engineer) Bruce Harvie? I love his Mandolin Graffitti album and have occasionally tuned in to his "Radio Free Olga" webcasts.

While on business travel, my father once had to carry on some fragile prototype cathode ray tube components; he knew the proper technical term "electron gun" would cause a stir, so after some advance deliberation, he decided they were "TV parts." They went through without a problem.

I was basing my suggestion on a comment in another thread about concertinas shipped from Europe being held up by US customs because of that word on the declaration documents. Maybe the airport staff aren't as bad.

I think it looks better than "reasonable"! Usually some of the corners from the bellows or center bellows frame will be missing. The decorative plate on the air valve has the Arnold design, but those can be easily removed, so the instrument may not be made by Arnold. They look like zinc plates, which does give some idea of the date. I think aluminum was introduced in about the 1920s. The reed tongues on many modern "long plate" Chemnitzers are still rectangular. I wouldn't call them accordion reeds. Some of the smaller reeds are not meant to have leathers. Look for glue residue to see which ones previously had them. I would reccommend high tack fish glue or liquid hide glue. Make sure it can hold the weight of the button while still wet, since they're so hard to clamp. You're better off winding your own. Try to find brass wire to match the old and wrap it around a small shaft. Bob Tedrow has a video tutorial on spring making on his site; one other C.net member had an instructional webpage as well. Make sure you really need to tune it before you start. Tuning these instruments is incredibly time-consuming. It is likely in an old standard (not A=440Hz), and also tuned to just intonation centered around G, so bringing it to a modern standard and equal temperament will mean lots of filing. There's no good way to tune the reeds outside the instrument, so tuning involves repeated removal and reinstallation of the plates. You might, but it will cost you. They are still made (e.g. by Harmonikas Louny), but not for this layout. They may have a minimum order of several sets.

For any instrument small enough to take as carry-on, I would do so. When the case goes through X-ray inspection and the security staff are puzzled by the appearance of the contents, you might be better to tell them it is an "accordion" or a "musical instrument" than a concertina, since (at least in the US), "concertina" is a name shared with a type of barbed wire that is apparently not allowed on planes. For instruments too large to take as carry-on, I think the key in packing is to make sure the instrument doesn't slide around inside its case. I once took one of my smaller (but not small enough) Chemnitzers on a trip, and used the case from a large instrument (too costly to risk bringing) lined with foam to hold the instrument snugly:

I once dressed as Particle Man for a costume party about 15 years ago, but I never tried to play the song... It shouldn't be that hard. If you do a search for: "particle man" chords, you will have a start. Working out the melody sounds like a good ear training exercise!

I couldn't find any on Google Video, but I found two live videos of the now-disbanded Sixteen Horsepower on YouTube. Leader David E. Edwards plays a Chemnitzer in a rather unusual way. "American Wheeze" "Flutter"

In the immortal words of that southern gentleman in an old Bugs Bunny Cartoon, "I'm not only from it, I'm in it!" I wouldn't wear a shirt like that either. If the market were greater than two, I'd make a "I'm a Buddhist concertina player and I vote" sticker.