gcoover

In the US, anything before 1924 is considered "public domain" and copyright-free. It's gets a little tricky after that, with the law changing about every 20 years or so. It's all about the money - performing (handled by various rights organizations) and the printing (often controlled by big music publishing houses). If they think you're making any money off it they want a piece of the action. Oftentimes those big publishing houses want waaaay too much upfront, that's why there are no Cyril Tawney songs in any of the Rollston Press shanty and sea song books. Pity, that. I had to pay $$$ to include "Over the Rainbow" in Anglo Concertina in the Harmonic Style, and they told me that also meant they owned my concertina arrangement of the tune since it was a "derivative work". I doubt they'll make many millions off it, but it's all about controlling what is done to the original work. Even if the original composer is long gone - that's what really sucks about "the business". To bring it back to the OP, I contacted John Connoly directly to get permission to include "Fiddlers' Green" in The Pocket Shantyman and Sailor Songs for Concertina and he was most gracious. Same for many other folkies who have written great tunes. It's all about the permission, which can sometimes be freely granted. I have no love whatsoever for the big music publishers but I'm more than happy to support individual artists! As to learning/copying other people's arrangements for your own enjoyment, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's a great way to learn and some might even consider it an honor. Always give credit where credit is due, but also try to eventually make your arrangement your own. Who knows, you might even come up with something new that's absolutely brilliant! Gary

Shameless plug time - 75 Irish Session Tunes for Anglo Concertina is for the Wheatstone layout, and a follow-up with 75 more tunes is currently in the works with Ernestine Healy. Gary

Hey Daniel, I'll check with the good folks at Akkordeonschule Aarau in Switzerland - they might be familiar with these instruments and also might be able to help facilitate getting some into our very curious hands! Gary

Adobe's Typeka Regular font is really close on the other numbers, only lacking the flange on the 4. Gary

Have you tried the "What the Font" iPhone app? It's usually pretty good about suggesting typefaces, just be sure to take a photo of a piece of text with something that might be fairly distinctive, like the letters g, a, etc. Gary

Thread drift alert! - not Mike Harding, but fellow Northerner Bernard Wrigley singing about that powerful cough drop "Fisherman's Friend", with notes all the way down to that super low G.

Here's a harmonic-style arrangement in G for 30-button C/G Anglo that goes waaaay up into the high notes, sounding a little reminiscent of a music box. Gary Coilsfield-House-G-ANGLO-high.pdf

Congrats to the Barleycorn Duet Rescue Team! 50-buttons is an ideal size for most applications, curious about the home key - hopefully "C". Gary

Looks like open fifths would be a bit problematical. Gary

A version of the similar "Green Grow the Lilacs" can be found in the Cowboy Concertina book, arranged for harmonic-style Anglo in the key of C. Here's what it sounds like: Gary

The quick fix is to switch it out with another button from a note you never play, maybe way up in the top end? Gary

Watch all the Bernard Wrigley videos to see and hear how he works the single-action bass concertina. He's the master of the "Phartophone", and hilarious as well, especially his description about how the concertina breathes through holes in its bottom. Gary

Just before he passed, I had the good fortune to work with Dave Leggett on publishing his book of songs, tunes and poems titled Ditty Box. If you'll send me a PM with your address I'll make sure to send you one to go with your new Leggett concertina! Gary

There are lots of books out there with music for traditional folk songs and sea songs, plus many can be found online. The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs is a good collection, and lots of shanties are in the Stan Hugill books. In the Shameless Plug Department: Pirate Songs and Sailor Songs have music and chords and lyrics to over 150 nautical songs and sea shanties, and both also have editions with tablature arranged for Anglo concertina editions. Sailor Songs for 20-Button Anglo Concertina is extracted from the two previous books. All are available in paperback and Kindle formats from the Button Box, Red Cow Music, and Amazon. Gary

"His Memberness" often uses a lightning-fast grace note arpeggio up or down before certain melody notes and chords, something Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne refers to as a "zip". These are in the same bellows direction as the landing note/chord, and are played by the rest of the fingers on the same hand. And he usually punches the chord hard and quick. Similar to the John Watcham book, a John Kirkpatrick Anglo book is in the works, with plans for it to be out by his October workshop. Perhaps we'll be able to meet up then and share some tunes and pints! Gary

Do you think the felt was someone's aftermarket attempt to silence some clattering buttons? I would think the sharp metal edges would have made short work of any felt, as opposed to the bushing board that present a larger and smoother surface. Gary

Hi Peter, Before you go to all the trouble of making new bushing boards, first make sure you have sufficient clearance between the new boards and all parts of the button lever mechanism, including the little piece of lever that extends beyond the button. Gary

If you have large hands you might find the Minstrel too cramped, like the 1950's Wheatstones, with tiny buttons just too close to the handrest. I tried a Minstrel at Smythe's and found it really difficult to play and not the least bit enjoyable. Unfortunately there seems to be no standard as to distance from "handrest to apex". My 1954 Wheatstone is 2-7/8" (7.3mm) and my Wolverton is 3-1/8" (8.0mm) and that extra quarter of an inch makes a huge difference. 1" high handrests also help. Gary

That Branwen sure looks like a cheap Chinese Anglo I've seen on a Chinese wholesale site. So from your list I'd vote Stagi, or consider Swan/Blackthorn if you can go the extra distance. The extra row on the 30-button can make all the difference in playing in other keys (like D) and for richer harmonic arrangements. Gary

As Breve mentioned, one of the main advantages to playing ITM on a C/G Anglo is that many of the tunes are played "across the break" between the left side and the right side. This frees up your strongest fingers on both hands to do most of the heavy lifting, and also allows the other fingers to add the ornaments and occasional low accent notes that mimic the pipes. Gary

Looks like somebody got a new drill press for Christmas...

I totally agree with what everyone has said so far. Another point of consideration is available instruction - to date there is only one book for G/D (hard to find), compared to dozens and dozens for C/G written over the past 150+ years. I, too, initially thought a G/D would be more logical for tunes in G and D, but you'll quickly learn that logic has nothing to do with it! The Irish play the C/G since that was/is the more common instrument, and it is also how they can develop so much energy and lilt in G and D, especially by playing across the rows. I had a really nice Jeffries G/D but never learned to play it due to the lack of any tutors. It has long since moved on to a new owner, and I'm now perfectly happy to explore all the options and quirks of the C/G, both 20-button and 30-button. Gary

Hopefully in a couple of months. He has been working on accompanying videos, and he just sent me the final chapter this morning, so we're just about to the final formatting and assembly stage. As you can imagine, it's going to be a really great book with great instruction - it's very exciting to be working with Cohen to help make it happen. Gary

Quite a lot of sea songs and shanties can be played on the 20-button Anglo, but of course the 30-button gives you more options for different keys which might be important for matching the ranges of certain singers. Shameless plug time: Sea Songs for 20-button Anglo Concertina has 96 songs, excerpted from Pirate Songs for Concertina and Sailor Songs for Concertina (both of which also have songs for 30-button Anglos). And yes, the whole sudden shanty phenomenon is great to see, perhaps building on the interest in Sea of Thieves and Assassin's Creed. Sales of The Pocket Shantyman are currently skyrocketing as well! It's wonderful to see so many people interested in these great old songs that are so much fun to sing and play. Gary