rclepper

Hello Eva, Welcome! It great to hear there's another player nearby. I started on anglo back in the spring, when I bought a nice old rosewood-ended Lachenal from Greg J. I make progress in spurts -- so far the concertina has had to take a back seat to my "bread-and-butter" instruments of (primarily) bouzouki, guitar and hammered dulcimer. I play Irish traditional music, and my goal with the concertina is Irish-style melody playing. I would love to have been able to take Noel Hill's workshop in Cinci, but with the demands of my "day job", family, and gigs I haven't been able to spare an entire week to go. Similarly, gigs on weekends make it hard for me to get to Cinci for the Riley school classes, which are taught on Saturdays. I also have to be careful not to overdo some tendinitis problems I've wrestled with in the past, as I play a lot on the other instruments and often risk further injury (another reason intense, week-long workshops don't work well for me...). Right now what would work best for me is an occasional workshop or lesson with Greg or Wally or someone. I am past the beginner stage, but could stand to benefit from further instruction. I do well at learning on my own, but I haven't had much luck at finding good self-instruction material for the cross-row, Irish style. The John Williams DVD was very helpful, but I think I'm ready for the next step. Noel's method would be a likely next step for me, were it not for the week-long class format. I've spoken with Greg and Wally about an occasional lesson, but I just haven't made it down there yet. I'm up for discussing options, where I can fit them in. Randy

Jody, In addition to finding a lighter concertina, consider seeing a doctor and getting a referral to physical therapy before the problem sets in long-term. I've (successfully) battled wrist problems off and on for years (from guitar, bouzouki, etc.) after a bad bout of tendinitis about 12 years ago and am currently recovering from a recent bout of tendinitis in my elbow. The sooner you nip these in the bud, the quicker and better your chances of a full recovery. I've had very good results with PT. In the meantime, rest, ice, ibuprophen and patience. Randy

Sweet!! Fine playing, and great interpretation! Some really tasty zouk in there as well... Randy

I too would like to heartily recommend Greg Jowaisas for repairwork. I just purchased a 30-button Lachenal with rosewood ends from Greg. I was directed to him through a mutual acquaintance. Being new to the concertina (but a long-time player of other traditional instruments...) and in the market for an instrument that would last beyond beginnerhood, I contacted Greg for advice on instruments, ergonimics, and learning material. He invited me down for the Brian Peters workshop and Greg's per-workshop, and to sample his concertina collection to give me exposure to a variety of instruments. He mentioned he had a couple of similarly-priced instruments that he had prepared for sale, but was _absolutely_not_pushy_ regarding them. He took a lot of time and made sure that I found the right instrument for me, recommending others' instruments for consideration and having me solicit others' independent opinions of which instrument they thought would best suit my needs. He spent several days tweaking the action on both instruments to my liking before I made my choice, so that both would be in their best playing condition. After making my selection, he followed up to make sure that I was pleased with my choice and to recommend other resources for learning. I am very pleased to have made his acquaintance, and would highly recommend his work to anyone in need of concertina services. Randy

I would strongly recommend carrying on any musical instrument that you can possibly persuade the airlines to allow. I have seen and heard too many horror stories such as cellos impailed with forklifts, crushed stringed instruments, etc., to trust the baggage handling and automated conveyor systems. I'm even buying a seat for my bouzouki on an upcoming flight on a new, bare-bones airline with cheap promotional fares (it was cheaper than the insurance...). You may get some interesting reactions from the security folks upon scanning your concertina according to another recent thread on this site, but at least you'll have your instrument intact when you reach your destination. Randy

Paulino, Twice in the last month I saw this instrument posted on ebay and I seriously considered purchasing it each time. Both times the auctions seem to have been terminated early, before i had a chance to bid on it. A bit frustrated with the game, I have since purchased an instrument that I am quite happy with. Regards, Randy

I think I learned some of those dirty verses in Spanish class many moons ago... Randy

Hello, I am new to the list. I also attended Greg's preworkshop class today, and met fellow Ohioan Alan there as well. I had been toying with taking up the anglo concertina for a few months now. After asking around, I discovered Greg and have been emailing with him for the last several weeks about instruments, the Brian Peters class, and this workshop. As a rank concertina beginner (though I've been playing irish music for many years on mostly fretted instruments), Greg's introduction was very helpful. He is very knowledgeable, patient, and generous with his time. It was great to see and get my hands on so many instruments all at once! I am looking forward to attending the Brian Peters beginner class on Thursday. Thanks, Greg. Randy