PeterT

Some people might say that this is the best place for a concertina player! Some nice playing, and stepping, Chas. My other observation is that a bow tie might be easier to control, in the English summer weather.

Thanks. There's a feature, on Fay, in the current issue of English Dance & Song, which landed on my doormat, a couple of days ago. For those in the London area, who might be interested, the Fay Hield Trio (including Ron Harbron and Sam Sweeney) is on at Croydon Folk Club, on Monday 6th December 2010. As most C.net members will know, Rob is an ace English concertina player. http://www.croydonfolkclub.org.uk/guests.html

More from C.net member Geoff Lakeman. Reading the "small print", it seems that the UK (maybe regional broadcast) will see some of this material being broadcast shortly (unless it went out live). http://www.unstrungheroes.net/videos.html

Nice to see Joe Stead, up at Whitby, as one of Kimber's Men. Beard has changed colour, but he still looks larger than life. [Maybe this is the tenuous concertina link, although I've no idea if the two Kimbers were related.] http://www.joestead.com/Kimberbio.htm For those in the UK with long memories, did anyone see Joe's "walk-on" appearances in "Last of the Summer Wine", back in the mid 1980s? I saw him in at least two episodes. For non-UK readers of this post, it's topical, since this long-running comedy series finishes, this Sunday, after 37 years.

That would have made it three Saturdays on the trot, on the IoW (well, two on the trot, one on the limp, as yesterday was rather painful). Hope the event went well. A bit risky, taking spare parts to a steam railway .... hope none got left there.

Wight Bells were booked to perform at Cowes Week (yachting equivalent to Sidmouth Folk Festival ... I think). I caught up with them at their third, and final, performance. Andrew was playing his Dipper anglo, and Ian brought his Morse anglo (and melodeon). At the end of proceedings, I had a brief play on each concertina (thanks, guys). It looks like they had no audience; far from the case, but I happen to like these two. From your roving reporter, now back on dry land; tired, having been up since 04.30 today! Link to additional picture: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1995654

Laughter? (That's my photo, of my keyboard and a very alive bird. ) I predict another tea-splattered keyboard.

Word obviously spreads fast; maybe Barry had access to the internet. I have three or four regular blackbird visitors to my garden. Sometimes they queue up for the bird bath. If I'm in the garden, I sometimes whistle to them, which results in some strange looks. I've not tried the concertina on the birds, but past experience suggests that horses like the sound.

Very tenuous link ..... a tune, called "The Blackbird", is often played on concertina. Reality is sometimes stranger than fiction: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1983070

This tends to happen, once you get past 100 (so I'm told)

I used to own two, both bought in sunny Sidmouth; now happily in new homes, with other C.net members.

... which dates from 1999.

Hi Geoff, I don't know what conclusions we might draw (based on a sample of only 6 instruments!), but here are the ones which I owned at various times: Edeophone English: 56 key - no.43581 56 key - no.44389 Hexagonal English: 48 key - no.25623 Edeophone Maccann Duet: 61 key - no.3746 61 key - no.3847 Hexagonal Crane Duet: 48 key - no.867 Regards, Peter.

Hi Lois, Subtle use of the air valve, if possible on your instrument, could help you overcome the problem. Allowing some air to leak in/out, via the valve, means that less will flow over the reeds. I never did manage to co-ordinate singing/playing, but accompanied a few singers. Regards, Peter.

????? Happy Independence Day, to our American cousins. For me, two years on from being hit by a car, so painful memories of this date! Regards, Peter.

Well spotted, Paul. It's the same instrument!!!!!

Chris Algar has this one for sale: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lachenal-Edeophone-61-Key-Maccann-Duet-Concertina-/250643729702?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Keyboard_RL&hash=item3a5b87cd26 61 key instrument. I have no interest in this sale, other than the fact that I owned this instrument from 1989-2007, when it was then sold to a Cnet member.

A couple for concertina spotters who find their way to Poole, Dorset, in southern England: http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1868988 http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1868998

In Portugal, it would appear that they have not, yet, discovered the word "melodeon" for melodeon. Probably directs more traffic to c.net, so not all bad. PS: sorry for using the "M" word, on c.net.

Two opportunities (both indoors):

Filmed at Whitby Folk Festival 2008; this is not tagged "concertina", so (as far as I can see) has not been previously added to the threads: Four English concertinas. The tempo is faster than when played by the brass band.

This anglo (lot 3) also has three screw holes just above the right-hand strap fixing button. I wonder what might have been screwed in there? A miniature music stand? Chris No, it's the "usual" Jeffries problem. The strap's screw thread is tapped directly into the wood; in time, if the instrument's strap is regularly adjusted, the thread gets stripped.

http://www.bonhams.com/cgi-bin/public.sh/pubweb/publicSite.r?sContinent=EUR&screen=Catalogue&iSaleNo=17825 Looks like the Wheatstone is seriously under-valued. I'd also be surprised if the Jeffries anglos did not exceed the top end of estimate. The duet is harder to value. It would be interesting to know the tunings, but I see that one Jeffries anglo has eight-fold bellows.

The good news is that, last week, it was announced that this website: http://www.geograph.org.uk/ to which I am a contributor, has been archived by the British Library. 1.5+ million images; and their largest undertaking, to date. I am glad that my "efforts" will be maintained, for posterity, and it's this thinking which decided me, some four years ago, to make my music archive available to the I.C.A. Who knows what will be useful, to others, in the future. At least, if it's available, it can be accessed.

Hi Brian, Going off at a tangent (as is my wont), I wonder how this discussion might have turned out had Andy Cutting persisted with the Maccann Duet, when he dabbled in the late 1980's. Sadly (for we concertina players), he had already been seduced by the melodeon. We are probably destined never to know, but Andy might have made some interesting music with the concertina. Regards, Peter.