gcoover

And look out the window - it's propane-powered!

Amen, Brother Simon!

What a nice coincidence! The good news is that I'm working right now with Dan Worrall on a completely revised version of the Kimber book since the previous one has been out of print for some time. The new book will include additional historical information, more tunes, and updated single-staff notation in real pitch in the style of the 19th century tutors. It will show all notes played as well as having the same tablature as in all the other Rollston Press concertina books. With luck the book will be out by the end of the year or early 2024, in paperback and probably also in Kindle. Just yesterday we reached out to the EFDSS folks about a possible release party in London, perhaps with presentation, concert, and maybe even a workshop and some Morris dancers. It's all in the very preliminary initial planning stages, but could turn into a fairly big concertina event. Stay tuned... Glad to see there is still interest in Kimber's unique playing style! Gary P.S. Attached is a sneak peek of what Bacca Pipes looks like. Bacca-Pipes-C-KIMBER.pdf

Caitlin nic Gabhann covers ornamentation in her more advanced online courses - highly recommended! Home | Irish Concertina Lessons Gary

There are only two choices - (1) practice, (2) suck. Gary

Of course it's very simplistic, but I've seen way too many beginners who are terrified of "hitting the wrong note" almost to the point of paralysis, which is also a way-too-simplistic reaction. Thinking about what you are doing is good, but overthinking can create its own problems. I can't tell you how many times I've hit a really strange chord by mistake and thought, "Whoa, what was that?", and then quickly written down the button numbers to remember to use it somewhere later. There are lots of different options for accompaniment and I just want to remove some of the fear-factor! Gary

Hi Mike, Sorry to hear the fingers are having problems - but the good news is the Anglo might be the perfect instrument for you since it involves very little finger flexing, the movements are very arthritis-friendly, and they certainly don't involve any of the contorted formations or tight clasping needed to fret stringed instruments. Due to osteoarthritis I can't play stringed instruments anymore (not that I ever could very well), but the Anglo presents very little problem, and I've only had to modify a few of the chord shapes. Gary

In a concertina workshop at the recent Old Pal Concertina Weekend in East Texas I emphasized a couple of concepts that will hopefully help those beginning to play the Anglo in the harmonic style. Simply put: “There are no wrong notes – only notes you like, and those you don’t like”. What happens if you hit a “wrong” note? NOTHING! The note might sound terrible and be an awful clanger, but that’s it. No harm done to the tune, the player, or the instrument. It might even lead you to a surprising harmony or wonderfully rich chord that you would never have found otherwise. Stray notes can be your friend, and can lead to amazing discoveries. A lot of the chords I use in my playing are found by trial and error and “by mistake”. Truth be told, I often have no idea what the particular chord is officially called. BbMAJ7sus+b4#9? Maybe, sure, whatever. In contrast to the desperate exactness of how many approach ITM, harmonic style is all about exploration and discovery. Professional players like John Kirkpatrick, John Watcham, Phil Ham, Jody Kruskal, and Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne all encourage folks to be more adventurous in their playing, to be musical and have fun. This is not intended to stir up any opinions or controversy here at CNET although I have no doubt many will chime in. This is for the beginners here on the forum - all instruments are daunting at first, but if beginning Anglo players replace any fear or timidity with a robust sense of experimentation, they will likely be rewarded with a wonderment of sounds that will help them craft their own unique style. Books and tabs only show one way of playing a tune, and are just a starting point. Once you're no longer afraid of wrong notes, you are free to move about the instrument! Gary

Thanks, Peter, I shall pass this info along to Dan and we can easily make any updates - the beauty of print-on-demand publishing. Lovely photos, thanks for posting! Now that the official launch is over, the Droney book is available worldwide on Amazon in paperback, and perhaps soon through retailers like Custy's Traditional Music Shop and McNeela Music in Ireland, and Red Cow Music in the UK. No word yet on a Kindle edition, but I have suggested it to Dan. Perhaps in a few weeks or months. Gary

Here's one from back in the day... I know what you're thinking - "Nice legs, shame about the face"! Gary

It's hard to beat Rick Spencer!

Do I dare ask what sounds AI thinks these instruments make? Gary

And here's a photo from this year's event. A good-looking bunch if I do say so myself! Gary

PM sent.

And this is what it sounds like, as arranged by Alan Lochhead: