gcoover

I know most players of Irish Traditional Music (ITM) prefer the Jeffries system since it has the extra C#, but who are some of the top players using the Wheatstone/Lachenal system? Thanks, Gary

All new players to the game are equipped with a concertina: https://seaofthieves.gamepedia.com/Concertina Since over 2 million players have signed up already, that's probably the most concertinas EVER!!! From the trailer: https://youtu.be/uUL1Rs2_1vU https://youtu.be/9jRZqpui79k And who knows, it might even spark an interest in the real instrument (faulty pirate chronology nothwithstanding). Gary

The new Sea of Thieves online pirate game is reportedly hugely successful, no doubt due to the concertina in the promo photo! (Nice to see a hurdy-gurdy too). ​Gary

OMG, the MacCann can really rock! Awesome sound. Electrifying. Also love the filming, and the hat, and the flames on the pedal boards! Great performance, and what great creativity, imagination and musicianship. Now I want to get all my concertinas hot-rodded and tricked out too! Gary

Michael, I'm not familiar with the tab program you're using, but I would strongly suggest notating things as simply as possible. There's often a tendency to overthink all the details (I'm an engineer by trade so certainly know all about that), but in the end you want something easy to notate and read quickly without a lot of clutter. Using too many identifiers (for note, finger, direction) might actually slow down your progress - always keep in mind that any type of tab is just a crutch to help your fingers quickly know where to be. It's best for tunes you're learning or to record your arrangements. As to finding the same note on different buttons - welcome to the joys and frustrations of the Anglo! Because of the different push and pull combinations, you'll find the rhythm can be very different depending on which buttons you select. Sometimes you want legato, sometimes more bouncy, and sometimes you want to emphasize downbeats and other significant accents. I agree with Jody Kruskal that it's good to learn all the various ways of playing the same melody, then you can experiment and interchange to make the tune more interesting. Attached is a great example of this (a line overhead indicates "pull"). Exact same notes, but notice how different it feels. Gary

Perhaps The Button Box can assist? Gary

Or an electronic drum machine - a lot more fun! Gary

Dana, I really like your idea of learning to relax the muscles, if only for an instant. So many players tense up and try to force the tune out of the box - as if playing harder somehow makes it better. Instead of huffing and puffing, the key is to use the bellows to breathe life into the tune instead of strangling it! Once I've finally got a tune memorized and played through a million times, it's amazing how much better it sounds to simply relax and play with a much lighter touch. More expressive, more musical, and more fun. Gary

I've noticed several sites online claiming to have downloadable pdf's of the various Coover concertina books (and maybe others as well) - and I just want everyone here to know that the books have NOT been released in pdf form anywhere. They're only available in print versions through the Button Box and Amazon (and occasionally on eBay by someone buying new from Amazon and jacking up the price). So........clicking to download from any other questionable sites might be fairly risky business! FYI, I hope to get them into some sort of electronic form one of these days, maybe Kindle versions through Amazon? Gary

Thanks so much for the interest. I just got the exciting news that famous Western artist William Matthews is making a new painting especially for the cover! And yes, Steve, we'll definitely have to include a few stockmen songs for all our friends down under, thanks for suggesting that. Gary

Robin - awesome sound! And not that big of an instrument. Does it have long reeds or weighted reeds? Would love to see some pictures of the left hand innards. Also interesting to see the EC thumb rest with handrest but no handstrap - is this something you came up with? Gary

Since most accordions (and hybrid concertinas) use plastic valves, what would be some reasons to use plastic (or not), and how would they differ (good or bad) from traditional leather valves? Thanks! Gary

Hi Terence, If you've got long fingers, try something like a 1" high handrest - that's what works best for my large hands. You can have one specially ordered or made by a good woodshop, or perhaps just have them make a shim that goes underneath and then use slightly longer screws to hold it all together. The stretch you're talking about is a tough one, but would be made really tough by short handrests. Gary

For those interested in the Jeffries Duet, Michael Hebbert has posted a fair number of new tunes in a variety of styles on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/michael-hebbert Lovely playing, as always! Gary

Yes, that is Jody Kruskal studiously listening to Harold - Jody is a fairly regular special performer/teacher at the Old Pal Concertina Weekend in East Texas. Harold often gave workshops on tuning and building and we all miss his kindness and enthusiasm. The action pan, ends and reed pan are all one piece (only the metal grill with handrest is separate), so no need for a lifting tab, but perhaps this solid type of construction is part of what makes his instruments so strong and loud. Gary

Dana, that's what I initially thought too about the wooden angle until I realized it doesn't touch the bottom of the fretwork at all by about 1/4". The ends are fairly thick stainless steel and the handrest extends all the way across, so there is no blocking underneath whatsoever. But you're probably right about the bellows ring - that's a good way to keep the folds from ever hitting any reeds. But perhaps it also creates a slight change in air pressure due the restriction created by the circular opening? Thought you all might enjoy one of the last photos taken of Harold when he talked about making concertinas at the Old Pal Festival in Palestine, Texas, in 2012. Sadly, he passed away shortly before the event in 2013. Gary

As many of you know, Harold Herrington in Texas was quite the experimenter when it came to building concertinas, and I think that came from his sincere desire to build something the best way he could even though he didn't play concertina or have much knowledge of historical concertina construction. In fact, the very first 30-button concertina he made back around 1990 had three rows in the keys of A/D/G because he thought Anglos were similar to the melodeon his bandmate played. He was so proud of that instrument and I felt really bad having to break it to him gently that it wasn't the traditional Anglo layout! His first instruments were square, but he quickly learned that the market preferred hexagonal. And yes, he kept changing and modifying to the point where I'm not sure if any two were exactly alike. I'm fortunate enough to have a metal-ended hexagonal 30-button he built in 2000, and it's loud, strong, with bass notes that sound far closer to real concertina reeds than any other hybrid I've played. But I've only recently paid attention to a couple of curious features that might or might not have ever been used on other concertinas. And I'm not talking about the offset lever arms or coil springs (which, by the way, work perfectly well). On the action pan you'll notice an odd little L-shaped wooden baffle/deflector next to the pad of the inboard reed. I've wondered about this for years, obviously an afterthought since it covered up his signature, but my best guess is this was an attempt to deflect/strengthen the volume of that often-weak reed. Anyone ever seen anything like this before? And on each end of the bellows (which he got from Italy) he added an additional plywood piece with a hole in the middle. Perhaps like a banjo tone ring? (Harold was mostly a tenor banjo player). I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the loudness of his instruments? I'm curious to hear what the cnet brain trust thinks about these features, especially from any builders! Gary

It's hard to beat the full sound of Michael Hebbert's Jeffries Duet at fuel steam. See his brilliant album "The Rampin' Cat". But unfortunately these instruments are hard to find... and even harder to play! Gary

Thanks Wayman and Adrian, I like the logic! So, how about this revised layout diagram for both J38 and W40? Gary AngloKeyboard Layouts-REVISED.pdf

Since a recent thread on right hand chords drifted into the territory of button numbering for large Anglos, it really deserves its own separate post... As you all know, there are a host of different numbering schemes for Anglo buttons, some make more sense than others, and many have loyal adherents, but to my knowledge there's never been a consistent system that addresses the larger 30+ button instruments. So I've been talking with Adrian Brown and Jody Kruskal and we've come up with the following scenario: It starts with the basic 20-button core numbered 1-10 on each side, and then utilizes a combination of numbers and letters to notate the outlying buttons that are accidentals and extras. It's fairly common to number the top rows of accidentals 1a-5a on each side, but for larger Anglos the extra buttons all over the place are more problematical, especially since Jeffries and Wheatstone arrange them completely differently. So here's the basic idea (see attachment): Number the extra buttons above the 20-button core with an extra "a". Number the extra buttons to the side of the 20-button core with an extra "b". Number the extra buttons below the 20-button core with an extra "c". And number the three extra Wheatstone buttons on the diagonal with an extra "d". "a" = above "b" = side "c" = below "d" = diagonal And then just "Th" for the left hand thumb button since it's in a class all its own. ​45-button Jeffries Anglos have additional buttons only on the bottom row, so this system should work for them as well. And the best part? It totally avoids the crazy stuff like you see on the Chemnitzer concertina keyboard (0/0, 1/0, 2/3, *, -, +, etc.). It uses simple numbers and letters that are readily available on any computer keyboard that are easy to use and remember. I know, I know, it's best to learn the actual music notes and read musical notation, but some of us prefer the initial crutch of button numbering and tablature to get started and to help remember how to play certain tunes! Looking forward to the discussion and the brickbats! Gary AngloKeyboard Layouts-J38-W40.pdf

Apologies for continuing way off the topic of right hand chords... Perhaps this numbering system might work for 38-button Jeffries Anglos? (See attached): Starting with the core 20-button numbering of 1-10 on each side, and with the top rows of accidentals numbered 1a-5a on each side... Since we already have extra buttons above labeled with an extra "a", how about labeling extra buttons to the side with an extra "b" (based on the nearest horizontal button on the row), and labeling extra buttons with a "c" if they are below the closest button? ​Above = "a" Side = "b" Below = "c" And then just "Th" for the left hand thumb button since it's way different than the others. 45-button Jeffries Anglos have additional buttons only on that bottom row, so this system should work for them as well. But whatever we end up deciding, let's please don't use all those crazy button numbers that are found on Chemnitzer concertinas (0/0, 1/0, 2/3, *, -, +, etc.)! And for the 40-button Wheatstone - what to do since it has top rows of 6 and 7 buttons? Gary J38-Anglo-Keyboard.pdf

Anyone know how many existing (or potential) beginner Hayden duet players are out there, and whether or not it would warrant putting out a tutor? I'd be interested in helping get it published if someone's got a good system for learning, and I can work with anything from a barroom napkin sketch to a final formatted pdf. Happy to work out how to split the meager proceeds too. Gary

But if you could cut a harmonica reed plate in half, and then insert the halves into each side like a cellphone sim card, wouldn't that be cool? Gary

Lovely arrangement! I especially like the very last section which discombobulates between the two. The Slipper Hornpipe is often played in a minor key (but I suspect it's because the Miles Krassen publication of O'Neill's failed to show any sharps). I remember many years ago playing a deliberately minor-key medley on EC consisting of the Morbid Rant, the Last Rites of Man, and my favorite - The Better Dead Than Red-Haired Boy. Gary

Interesting mix with clamped and crimped reeds - perhaps a transitional instrument using up old reed stock? Gary