PaddyLosty

By god, I would have a first born and then give em for this concertina. I think maybe if I sold all of my belongings I could afford it.

Hey Everyone Good friends of mine are putting on a house concert in Kitchener. Here's the blurb from facebook: Brother and sister Asher and Alison Perkins were born into a musical family in Detroit, Michigan. Both siblings have won multiple awards on their respective instruments; Asher on concertina and button accordion, and Alison on fiddle, tin whistle and singing. Starting at an early age they were guided by some of the finest Irish musicians from Ireland and North America. They are both members of the successful Michigan band Finvarra's Wren. With the band they have played such venues as the critically acclaimed Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and the Goderich, Ontario Celtic Festival. They have also played and taught at many concert halls, pubs and festivals across America. This is the first time Asher and Alison have ever performed as a duet without the rest of the band! Don't miss this unique, completely acoustic concert that will be sure to delight you. Time and Place Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008 Time: 7:00pm - 9:30pm Location: Nick's parents' house Street: 31 Springdale Drive, Kitchener City/Town: Kitchener, ON I think he's asking 10 bucks at the door or maybe less, and bring your own chairs! Brandon

To anyone with some experience tuning/repairing, if one had a set of reeds in say A/E or Ab/Eb, would it require much retuning to have the concertina play in the same tuning as a set of pipes? If I had a B box, Id be playing primarily with a piper with a B set, but there would be differences in tuning on some notes. Has anyone tuned a concertina to the pipes?

Yes... My fiddle is also in D unless I tune it down to B or up to Eb. Conversations with non-Irish players can be confusing at best.

By Bb do you mean an Ab/Eb instrument? Theo's got one here http://theboxplace.co.uk/boxshop-concertinas.htm

I know just the solution A good layer of this ANTIRUST on your reeds and metal parts should do the trick. Adds years to the life of any concertina!

Ah, I must be a lucky man... My girlfriend shares my musical instrument acquisition syndrom, and has convinced me that its a good idea to put in an order for a dipper some time in the near future. No, you can't have her.

Excellent... These are exactly the things I wanted to know. I was thinking that it was most likely a matter of tapping an available D (or other relative note) rather than needing a drone, but I had to ask you folk in your infinite concertina wisdom. I love a strong backbeat, and playing the fiddle, I always catch myself either two-foot tapping or tapping the offbeats in a session. In fact, Mary Macnamara's strong backbeat playing is what initially drew me to the concertina. Im glad it can be accomplished without a special button!

Im trying to figure out exactly what a drone key sounds like when played. Is backbeat tapping like Mary MacNamara's done with a drone in D for example, or is she just tapping an available D? Or is the drone only used for having a C or D as a bisonorous note? Im thinking that Noel Hill's playing of the Bucks of Oranmore on Music of Dreams is a good example of using a drone, (especially around 1:25) but I could be very wrong. Can someone direct me to a recording that is a good example? I have alot of Irish players, so anything along those lines im likely to have, or something on youtube even. Thanks!

Wow, a week in the field doing research and look at the can of worms I come home to... Well, I think I'll follow my initial idea and go with a hybrid for now, as a learner instrument that can still be appreciated for tone, while waiting for a higher end instrument down the road. By the time that rolls around, I'll have a better idea of what I prefer between a vintage or newly made instrument, but I think I will likely go with a new instrument. For the record, I do play Irish music, and it is quite an obsession, so I cant see that changing any time soon. When I began playing the fiddle, I came from playing jazz guitar, so I could appreciate the benefit of good tone. I opted not to buy a cheap ($500) fiddle and instead save for a decent instrument (which I got for a steal, and not much more than the cheapos) which I still play, and get many compliments on its tone. I have just finished an undergrad degree and am starting to work as a researcher, which will hopefully lead to grad school. These are big economic decisions, but I know I will be able to afford a good instrument in a few years, and I will have the time to save. Viewing the buy/sell lately, im not worried about depreciation on value of a hybrid as they seem to be selling near what they cost new (minus the cost of "utility"). Perhaps I'll love the tone of the hybrid and stick with that, but I do love the tone of the traditional reeded instruments I've had the opportunity to play with (and their players). Anyways, I'll be calling Mr. Tedrow, Mr. Edgely or Mr. Morse in the next few weeks and ordering a black wooden ended, jeffries system concertina. Looking forward to learning all these tunes in my head on the new box. Brandon

Oh im sure I'll end up selling a limb or something some day to aquire a Jeffries. Actually, one of the first concertinas I ever had my hands on was a Jeffries. Just having graduated, Ill have to put that off till I have a "real" job. Theres no question that I'll put a payment on a top quality instrument once I start learning, but right now Im trying to decide between looking for a good Lachenal, or going with one of the hybrid makers. I don't mind the wait time of the hybrid makers, since I'll be in the field doing research all summer.

The Wakker's Ive looked at look quite nice as well, though I have a while to decide. Mr. Edgely lives not far from where I am in Canada, and a friend of mine has one of his instruments, but I haven't been able to compare it to a Lachenal yet.

So, Ive been playing the fiddle for quite some years and know a good load of tunes. Im happy with my fiddle playing, but I most enjoy playing with a small group, usually a flutist friend and my girlfriend on C#/D box. Ive been planning to take up the concertina at some point, and I've been playing around with a Stagi 20 button, and have gotten some tunes down on that instrument, despite the limited range. Ive been saving for a mid-range instrument, and have about enough now for something like and Edgley or Tedrow, or possibly a mahogany Lachenal or Jones. I could save a bit more and get a rosewood Lach as well. My plan is to buy one of these instruments and put a down payment on a Sutner or Dipper soon after. Because of this plan, Im more concerned with playability and responsiveness than true concertina tone, as by the time ive played enough to consider myself a serious player, I'll have a top quality instrument. Which would be the best choice for the meantime? I like the sound of the older instruments, but do they play as crisply as an Edgley? I know opinions would be varied, but I need to inform my decision as there aren't many concertinas (or concertinists) around to compare with. If you prefer not to voice your opinions openly, please PM me. Thanks!

Is this still available? Where abouts in the states? Cheers Pat

Its interesting how the instrument you learn the music through shapes how you hear it. I play a few instruments, but when I learn a tune I still think of it as a fiddle tune in many ways. The concertina is a nice second instrument because playing styles are so individual.

Im in Hamilton, Ont. Ive just started learning on the anglo but im a fiddler and attend alot of sessions in the area. I lurk on this website reading about concertinas alot too...a poor student must make due with any concertina he can get, even if the buttons stick.

Looks like some television producers have got some 'splainin to do.

Is it in jeffries layout as well? Im assuming it's located in Ireland.

You are probably right on this point. Still, 24 or 26 button instruments, which already exist, would be enough for many people. I didn't know that Mr Edgley was making 24 button ones. It's not listed on his web site, I suppose it's special order. I would be interested to know the price. I emailed Frank recently and he informed me that he is no longer making the 24 button. Does anyone remember how much they were? -- Woops, I should read the whole thread before posting....

My position is much the same as Tim's. Ive played the fiddle for a number of years, so the tunes are already in my head. Ive been working them out on a loaned 20 button from a friends attic, which has been better than nothing, but im getting to a point where the reeds arent sounding as fast as im playing, so some notes just don't come out. And, just yesterday a button fell off. Yeesh! I am also a working musician and a full time student. I have about the same budget as Tim, and was planning on waiting for a used Edgley or Tedrow to come up. I wasn't aware that the 26 buttons were in my price range, so maybe that's the way to go. I wan't to get one in the next year before I have to start paying off my student loan and will be dirt poor for a few years. I feel your pain!

Yeah I'm quite close to Toronto, I just came in the door from the Dora Keogh's session 10 minutes ago. I know Karen, she comes in from time to time, but always playing whistle. I'll mention to her next time I see her about picking up the concertina. I guess my draw towards the D/G or D/A concertina is that I really prefer the style of Kitty Hayes and Mary MacNamara to Noel Hill. Maybe its not a big difference, and that style will come out simply because its a bigger influence on me, and the benefit of tutor material and easier to find instruments would outweigh anything else. Anyways, thanks for the advice.

Hey everyone Im a fiddle player by trade, but I quite enjoy the sound of free-reed instruments and listen to them alot more than I do fiddle playing. My s/o plays button accordion in C#/D style, and I prefer the sound of that style of B/C. Ive been looking to buy a concertina to start teaching myself, as there are no other players around here (Hamilton, Southern Ontario). Two of my favourite concertina players are Kitty Hayes and Mary MacNamara, and from what I understand they both play in the old along-the-row style. If I wanted to play this style in sessions, I would need a D/A instrument, correct? I know they're a bit harder to come by, so I was thinking of getting a C/G and playing tunes in D/A fingering. There's at least one C session around here, so I could still get out and play once in a while, and the fiddle does me for most sessions. Are my assumptions correct? Are D/A boxes too hard to come by to bother? What are the limitations of that style of fingering? Thanks!