yfried

I took Florence' class at Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp 2010. She is a wonderful teacher. This is the first time that I have actually learned some tunes by ear. She expanded my use of the C row on the right hand and I developed a better sense of how the rhythm of the piece creates its "swing". She taught ornaments and showed how even simple ornaments can produce a complex sound. All the instructors were fabulous this year. The sessions at night were not to be missed. I also took the pennywhisle class which I enjoyed immensely and it helped with learning tunes. Yvonne

An early St. Patrick's gift to those on the board with iPhones and/or iPod Touches (2nd generation or newer with built-in speaker). Thanks Michael! I redeemed 6WNWKFEEJF7A for the Button Box Thank you :-) Yvonne Fried

One oddity to watch for in environments are ceiling fans. My concertina went from playing normally to having a very fluttery sound. It was a mystery until I realized that there were ceiling fans in the room causing the problem. Yvonne

I spoke to Bertram Levy about 8 weeks ago when he was in Buenos Aires. If you'd like to email me I'll give you his phone #. I'm not sure if he's in Buenos Aires right now or has returned to Port Townsend. Yvonne

Funny how these things happen. A co-worker knew from conversations at the lunch table that I play the concertina. She recently visited with the mother of an acquaintance at the mother's home and later, speaking with me, mentioned that she noticed a glass cabinet with concertinas on display at the home. I was quite excited to hear this interesting news and obtained the phone # of the woman who confirmed that indeed she has a collection of concertinas brought to this country by her grandfather from Germany. I'll be visiting with her on January 30th. Any thoughts about what I'll find? Yvonne Fried Ashland, Oregon USA

Just released: Keepers of Tradition: Concertina Players of County Clare This has been heavily promoted over the last several days by Clare FM. There are 28 tracks of archival concertina music. It was announced that Custy's would be carrying it as of Monday. http://www.clare.fm/music/ClareFM%20trad%20archive Download the podcasts from 12/18/2009 and 12/21/2009. Great discussion about the new release and many of its tunes. Yvonne

It's not a squeeze box, rather a wheeze box!

Is this music best played with English or Anglo concertina? Yvonne

I enjoyed playing my concertina in accompaniment to Josephine's Waltz. Yvonne

lovely to listen to!

Looks like an awful lot of snow sitting up on that roof! We've been getting small amounts of snow all week long here in Southern Oregon......nothing like Portland or Washington State. Yvonne

Thank you for sharing a very personal story. You're a great writer.......I could see in my mind's eye what you were describing. Especially the part about sleeping in the bed with more blankets and the sound of the ice/trees/branches falling around your home. It's the coldest it's been here (Ashland, Oregon) for a while. We rarely get snow where we live; maybe two or three times a year and it lasts a few days. It was 36 degrees F today, and it's supposed to get down to 21 on Friday. There's ice on the streets and sidewalks and now that I'm a little older and I hurt my ankle 4 weeks ago, I'm especially careful of slipping and falling. But our weather is nothing like you're getting back east. Good luck..... Yvonne

I live up a hill in Ashland, Oregon. Right now we've got fog in the lowlands and sunshine at the top of the hills. We usually get several days of snow every winter. What I love best about the snow is how it completely changes the geography. It's like rearranging your room........a whole new perspective on the great outdoors. I also love how quiet the snow is, in contrast to rain. Rain makes a lot of noise on my roof. But the snow......it just floats down. There are thousands of snowflakes falling, but if you can find one, just one, to focus on, you can follow it all the way down to the ground. And no two snowflakes are alike! It's amazing. But, I truly don't care for the cold. I was just thinking I should try to go south......e.g. to LA where it is warmer and the sun is out. Yvonne

I'm a little confused by the numbering associated with each picture. How many concertinas are there for sale? Yvonne

One of my most enjoyable times practicing the concertina was on the ferry to Friday Harbor. The sound is great and the scenery superb! Yvonne

I am taking concertina lessons and am very motivated to practice. This morning around 9:30 am I decided to practice in my back yard. There is a lot of foliage between me and my neighbor. About 5 minutes into practicing the piece I am currently learning, I looked up to see a calico cat staring at me through the leaves. It then left. Shortly after that, a fellow comes walking out of his house dressed in blue jeans and no shirt. He's kind of looking to see where the sound is coming from. I said, "I hope I wasn't bothering you." He replied, "well, it is a little early; actually I was just trying to figure out what was making the noise." There is a university here in town where I live. They do have music rooms. I suppose I could play there to my hearts content knowing that I'm not disturbing anybody else's sound space. Have you had any experiences like this? Where do you practice? Yvonne

What is a "full custom instrument"? And in what sense were you saved? Saved because you didn't have to buy other concertinas (because yours was wonderful?) Or, were you saved in the sense that when your world was falling apart, playing your concertina made things right? Yvonne

Danny, Very lovely music. So many different styles and all played so well! Yvonne

Thank you for making the effort to share and post both of those clips. Wonderful music. If you have more, I would love to see them on YouTube. Yvonne

PS BOF: English acronym meaning Boring Old Fart. Thanks......I was wondering what BOF meant! :-) Yvonne

I ordered Dympna's new CD, Bean Chairdin, on July 28th and it arrived on August 1st from Custy's....very fast arrival. The CD is wonderful, lots of great driving rhythm. Wonderful to listen to. Get one before it sells out! :-) Yvonne

It appears that her favorite music is Greek, Hip Hop, Rock and Pop and that she is a MSc Student in Occupational Psychology..........and her Favorite Books are about character Strengths and Virtues. So, I can see precisely why she has posted here. I do believe that an Occupational Psychologist would find it interesting to pursue the opinions of this List. After all, what we all have in common here is our concertina playing. But does that in fact influence our choice of careers? Who could know without performing a study? I have often been told, [shortly after pridefully performing a newly learned tune], by some of my would be friends, that now I can go down to the plaza and put out my hat. What is so interesting to me is that they think they are the first to think of it. Why, I have been smirkingly told on many occasions (by my would be friends) that I should attend to earning a living with this fine art of concertina playing. But, I tell them that I am not any time soon giving up my day job. I'm no dummy...... And, I believe that we excel in Strengths and Virtues. Even possibly virtuousness. I think that she is trying to extend her musical appreciation. Imagine: Greek, Hip Hop, Rock and Pop and Concertina music. Truly an extraordinary breadth of the musical spectrum. All in good fun. No slander or harm intended. Yvonne

I play a 30 button C/G Anglo concertina with a Jeffries Layout. If I purchase a 38 button C/G Anglo with a Jeffries layout e.g. made by Suttner...........what problems can I expect to encounter if I try to play the same tune on both concertinas? If one learns the additional alternate keys/fingerings for a 38 button concertina, does that cripple you from playing well on a 30 button? I would imagine, or I would think, that the additional 8 buttons, increases flexibility in selecting which notes to play depending on the demands of the tune. Have there been any previous discussions addressing this issue? Where can I go to read more? Yvonne

I am always happy to help in any way that I can. I love the humor and sense of community engendered by the shared thoughts and feelings of the members of this site. There's nothing like a good belly laugh to lighten the load.....or a wonderful piece played on the concertina. Yvonne