Bernie Inakayak

Hi Steve, There was a short programme on BBC Radio 4 recently which I only half listened to, about Chinese harmonica factories and their harmonica ensembles. If you are really interested I expect you could find the programme archived on the Radio 4 website. Bernie Oops, it was Japanese harmonica factories, so completely off-topic I suppose. Here's an article about it anyway though: ........ Golden oldies Another musical instrument factory in Hamamatsu makes harmonicas. Among the staff is Michiko Takeya, who's 71 years old and is determined to keep working. "I've been working here for many years and I really love the sound of the harmonicas," says Mrs Takeya. "I suppose most of my colleagues belong to a different generation but we still get on very well as friends." Her colleague is 65-year-old Kamiya Yoshitaku says he stayed on because the company needed people with special technical skills. Old Japanese woman [there was a picture here of an "old Japanese woman", not a terribly gallant caption is it, anyway, just use your imagination] The elderly in Japan work in harmony with younger generations He insisted he would rather work in the factory than spend time on his hobbies like hiking or fishing. It is not just people who have been working for the company for decades who are allowed to stay on. Suzuki Harmonicas has even hired new members of staff at the age of 60 according to Managing Director Takeomi Mishimura. "Making musical instruments like harmonicas you need a lot of skill with your hands - computers can't do that," says Mr Mishimura. "It's a great advantage for us to have older people working for us because they have got so much experience and can teach and nurture the younger generation." The factory also offers a harmonica school for people who want to learn the instrument. Most of the students are in their sixties and seventies and go to lessons every week. They also give concerts and invite their grandchildren to come to listen to the music. Proof indeed that different generations can work in harmony.

Hi Leo, Why would you want that when we already have a keyboard? Also, you seem to be making the fatal mistake of taking what I say seriously!?!?! Bernie

I don't think it was too sexist, or even sexist at all.

Thank you David, I knew someone would see sense. And thank you very much for volunteering to lead the project. How long do you think it will be before we can sample the results? It would be great if you could start with an Anglo version, as that is the kind of concertina I want and can't bring myself to tell Mrs Bernie what they cost, seeing as I bought a fiddle last month and a surf kayak and a lot of CDs.

Bernie: Like this?? http://www.id-werbeagentur.com/concertina/ Thanks Leo No no no. I've seen that, it looks very impressive of course but it's a huge disappointment, I actually collapsed in floods of tears when I used it, I mean you have to use your mouse, it's completely unlike playing a concertina. My method would use the computer keyboard.

I know I'm new here but I've just had a truly wonderful idea. Why not make a computer keyboard play concertina notes? Pull and push could be handled through the space bar, or a foot pedal (mouse). What could be simpler? My state-of-the-art laptop is still much cheaper than the concertinas you all want, and you can't use a concertina to look at pictures of ladies with no clothes on, now can you? Why go to all the trouble of hand-assembling more than 1000 fiddly components, when the solution is already at hand? I thank you. Bernie

Twenty something years ago I was busking in the lovely city of Bath, playing a little accordion. An old lady walked past, stopped, came back and stood in front of me, staring into my face for several seconds. Then, outraged, she shouted at me "You're not blind at all!!" and stormed off. Bernie

Though as Peter knows all too well, old style players like Kitty Hayes play them in C and G on the straight row all the time (so Peter always plays a C chanter with her). Mary MacNamara plays in C a lot too, but it doesn't suit most sessions. I really like the way Kitty Hayes plays, I only heard her for the first time today, on the TV programme Peter was on. I think it is the rhythymnh (how do you spell that?) and the sense of timing I like, the understatedness. Is there an explanation somewhere on the site about what "playing on the straight rows" means? And what is "cross fingering"?

Do realise you will be the odd one out and will not find any tutors written for Irish music on the D/G and you will not fit into classes/workshops. So there's a caveat to that advise. A two row C/G has a limited availability of c sharps which will hamper you when trying to play in D. Hello again Peter, it's a small world isn't it. So are you really advising starting straight in with a 3 row instrument, as an ideal? I do mostly just play solo these days, and if I did go to a session I think I would probably just take my fiddle. Actually I've realised now what the question is I really want answered: is there a limitation to a 20 button instrument, if I just want to play solo? Will I be able to play the jigs and reels and hornpipes I already know, even if it is in a different key?

Hi Everybody, This is my first post. I only thought about getting a concertina a couple of days ago. I play a lot of different instruments in a lot of styles: Irish fiddle mostly at the moment, but also jazz on saxes and piano, guitar, and I used to play a little piano accordion in a céilidh band. I've never played a note on an Anglo concertina. Nowadays I play at home for my own enjoyment, Irish music mostly, and that's what I would want a concertina for. I've seen the concertina in the attached photo for sale on this site, and it's now on EBay, item number 260051130527. I wonder if anybody would like to answer a couple of newby questions about it. First, is there anything to say about the playability of a Jones 20 key instrument like this? Is the layout of the buttons comfortable and convenient? Second, I've read that 20 buttons is limiting, but I'd like to know where the limitations come in. Playing solo, I don't think I mind much if I have to play everything in one or two keys, but will this instrument play the standard repertoire of jigs, reels and hornpipes in those keys, or am I quickly going to be looking for more sharps and flats? I'd be very grateful for responses to these questions, and anything else more experienced concertinistas may have to say.