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I'll bet that if someone else starts the tunes, you can follow them. The trick is remembering the first few notes to get the tune started. I had a friend who would write the titles and the first bar on flash cards, then shuffle the cards and play through his tunes. He caught up pretty quickly and was able to start off tunes in the sessions as well as anybody.

40 Key Wheatstone C/G Anglo Concertina #56437 (1954) Item number: 260058851817 Sorry, don't know how to post that direct link. Questions: 40 seems like a lot of buttons on an Anglo! Can anyone direct me to a likely map for these notes? Wonder why no bids so far. Does anyone recognize this seller? Any comment on 1954 Wheatstone anglos in general?

I also wrote to this seller and got no response. No wonder those 26 button Jeffries Anglos are such a bargain! (as he claims)

I've been playing idly with the thought of using a Digitech Vocalist on my concertina and see what it comes up with in terms of harmonies. Hasn't got beyond a thought yet, but if one ever drifts past on eBay at the right price ... Chris Chris, I've been wondering how you are doing with your Midi box. Do you play it often now that the novelty has worn off? Is the touch or action really similar to the real thing? My thought is that I could seriously expand my practice hours with one of these and headphones. Ken

Ah, my apologies. I forgot about that. I stand corrected. What was the justification for the $59? Surely you never thought it would? Chris Chris, I never did figure out why the post office wanted more money. Perhaps it was a special Sunday Morning surcharge. I was too eager to start bobbling.

I recently sold an anglo to someone in California. I didn't try and disguise the sale on the customs slip, and my buyer paid no tax when he got the concertina, though it did spend the best part of a week sitting in US customs clearance if its way to him. So much for 5 day global priority delivery! I know that if you buy new from the US to the UK then you end up paying about 20% on top, which is why Morses are relatively expensive in the UK as compared with the US. Chris California buyer here. It arrived (in perfect condition) on a Sunday morning, delivered by a postal employee in uniform. She wanted another fifty-nine bucks. Fortunately I'd been paid the night before for playing at a contra dance and I broke even. My life is wierd, and becoming a concertina player has NOT made it any more normal. Ken "middle-aged Breeches-bobbler"

(Oops) My thought on this one was that if Jurgen Suttner could be talked into replacing the reeds it might have become an amazing instrument. The recording of his instrument on Tim Collins' Dancing on Silver sounds clear and trumpet-like. Can I get comments from someone with experience?

Likewise. I suppose it also shows that the market is indeed quite bothered by the fact that it's not an "intact" Jeffries. I thought it was a good box myself...

Here's an ACTUAL AD I received today in California: Rags to Riches! Fame can be yours! Yes, it's true! You can be part of the glamorous world of MORRIS DANCING. What's Morris Dancing, you ask? Why, only the hit dance craze of the 17th and 18th centuries. (That is, if you were living in a small English village at the time). Interested? We sense you still have questions. So here are answers. Who is Wild Wood Morris? Wild Wood is a group of very interesting folk who get together each Wednesday night to stomp around, clash sticks, make jokes, enjoy life. Tell me again, what is Morris Dancing? Morris is centuries old. Wild Wood does an updated and upbeat version. Dave, our team musician extraordinaire, plays the tunes on electric guitar. It's aerobic and geometric -- good for the brain and the body. Can I be a member? Yes. If you meet the requirements. a. Sense of humor is way more important than sense of rhythm. b. Sense of rhythm is still very helpful. c. A willingness to try something new. Where are you? We practice in Long Beach. We dance around the Southland and sometimes travel to far-off lands to join other dance groups for Ales (gatherings of Morris teams for dancing, fun, and, occasionally, beer). How much time will this take? Practice is 1 - 2 hours on Wednesday nights. Dance-outs and other gigs occur at various times throughout the year. We often dance on the 2nd Monday night of each month during the summer & fall. Is it hard? Incredibly hard. It usually takes 15 to 20 years to learn. But, because our team is enthusiastic and welcoming, and our fore (that's Morris lingo for teacher) is so dedicated, we'll have you dancing in 30 to 40 minutes. Is it Dangerous? Absolutely. But only to the spectators. How much does it cost? After reading the above you still care about the cost??? Lucky for you it costs nothing! Will I really be famous? Yes. At least among those of us at Wild Wood Morris. Enough already. Haven't you always wanted to confuse your friends and family by announcing "HEY FOLKS, I'M A MORRIS DANCER!"? Now's your chance. Drop us a line. Come try it out--you might get hooked, as we all have!

Thanks, Jeff The Wickipedia article was good and the links and references at the end even better. Subject can be closed, probably to the relief of all those east of the Pond.

I would love to pursue the topic of traditional vs. western square dance. I was under the impression that Pappy Shaw was the father of square dance and had created it by combining moves from other traditional dances in the US: contra, clog, and buck 'n wing. That was all before my time. Can anyone offer clarification? Bringing it back to concertina, I've played other instruments for contra dances for almost 30 years and I plan to play concertina for contras in the future. Can't picture it working for square dances, those callers almost always use recorded music.

Payment methods: There are no available payment methods in your country. Please do not bid on this item. Drat. No Celestina Accordian for me!

My newly acquired Lachenal c/g 32 button has a couple of problems. After a couple of dozen hours of playing, I have noticed that it makes a "pop" on the pushed c note, middle row first finger right side. The reed sounds first, then there's the pop. It's possible to play the note very softly without the pop, but as soon as I squeeze enough to get normal volume, I get the pop. No other buttons do this. There's also a strangled tone to the g# in the right accidental row. The note is not musically useable. Would anyone like to diagnose from an email? I promise to do nothing stupid based on internet advice.

Are there really any anglo players out there who can manage jigs at 160-170? Or is this a tempo for English concertinas?

-Jumping on the opportunity to add something positive here: This has been an educational thread in many ways, including the comparisons of various makers' anglos, the glimpses into a range of personalities, and finally this last bit of detective work revealing that Mr. McCabe is indeed a fine fiddle player. He passes the audition, in my opinion, and deserves a fast concertina. I hope to hear the results of his efforts one day.

The seller says this instrument is not in concert pitch. To what pitch is it likely to be tuned? a fast and tight Wheatstone anglo sounds tempting but pitch could be a problem.

Thanks to Paul and Woody. I have straps on order from Dave Leese, and dental-floss loops in place until then. My wife just informed me that 'scales are not tunes.'

My first concertina has arrived, a Lachenal anglo 32 button c/g. Sure enough, my hands are too big for the straps. I'll use some spacers to raise the hand rests, but I'm going to need longer straps. Can anyone suggest a source?

I've had Frank Edgley's book for a while and I highly recommend it. It's really fantastic for starting out on Irish concertina music. For me especially being more of an ear learner the inclusion of a CD was really great. Elderly is out of stock for the Frank Edgley book and the Button Box is very pricey. Can anyone direct me to a better source?

Ken, Sure enough, David Leese has these straps: green leather with a gold celtic design. Thanks again Ken the Newbie

This anglo from e-bay had great looking green straps: Item number: 320028060091 Can anyone help me find straps like those? Thanks in advance - Ken

Can anyone expound on the claim here of "reeds of brass and steel?" I thought it had to be one or the other.

Bellowbelle, You are absolutely right about this. I studied jazz at one university, and years later classical music at another. I had to go through the full set of theory classes in both schools. One day in a class at the classical school, the prof was going down the row changing notes in an imaginary four voice chord. He came to me, literally pointing his finger, and asked "And if the E changes to and E flat, how is the chord functioning?" I answered "As a flat-five substitute." His jaw dropped as if he had been slapped, and he finally managed to gasp, "That's Jazz Talk!!" And this guy is the local expert on 'modern' music! It's also significant that you say that you have your own way to organize chord theory. I met a man once who denied seeing the keyboard layout for theory but explained a system of visualizing the circle of fifths as a huge screw with the notes lined up vertically, and shapes of chords as triangles or 4-point shapes touching note spots in the big corkscrew. It seemed to work for him. OK, I return to lurk-mode since I know nothing yet about concertinas! Ken

Many thanks to Earl, Peter, Ross, Dana, and Chris (so far) for these excellent words of advice. I'll be looking for taller and maybe longer palm rests, and I'll compare the distances from palm rests to buttons between various instruments. I will also look for previous posts about changing the height of the rails or rests (any help with terminology is also appreciated). This is a great board! Ken

Greetings to all here, and please forgive me if you are already tired of this question: I've decided to take the plunge. I play quite a few instruments and have some music degrees. I've been an Irish fiddler for many years. I'd like to play some sessions with the Anglo concertina. Problem: I have very big hands, long and wide but not thick. Over the years I have held a few anglos that were comfortable and some that were just too cramped to play. I recall that some very inexpensive 20 button models in Clare were very roomy. Are there any brands that would be easier for me to play on? Price is not going to stop me (this time). Any other advice for a pre-beginner is welcomed!