Ken_Coles

Frank will certainly tell you (and show you) that working from the G row can be very successful, and I know he admires Droney's playing greatly (as many of us do). There's more than one way to play in D on C/G anglo. Each method has its strengths and adherents. If only one method were truly successful, the others would be extinct by now after a century and a half, so play on in any system that works. The only experience I have to add is that someone just learning the instrument should choose and learn one fingering system (any system) and stick to it initially. You'll be able to tell when you are ready to experiment with other ways of playing. At that point, having multiple approaches can put more tools in your musical toolbox. Ken

Well, TS stands for something you'd see in the bathroom, from the days when your great aunts had redecorated their house by installing them in a celluloid finish - at least, mine did, in a sort of vampire green. Sitting on a red one would have been a trip. Ken

Thanks! All those years are a shock to the author of that article too! I've heard more than once that all or many of those concertinas came from one Italian factory. Ken (another Pennsylvanian)

If anyone is new to this, time to tell them that the red celluloid is properly referred to as MOTS. 😎 [See if you can guess; it's a spoof on Mother-of-Pearl] Ken

Seems funny - Paul, we met at 1998 NHICS, right?, which was in mid-September. (The only years I went when it was at Bucksteep were 1997 and 1998.) Your web page had been up for some months - my recollection says a year, but I could be wrong. If I dig around at my other house, I can probably find a printout of it that I made back then. Time for some archaeology. Then again, I could just be getting senile! Ken

There is at least one article with the early history of the company and the man which goes into all this - I'm sure someone who remembers where it is will remind us where to read it (I don't have time to check right now). IIRC a French-Swiss name. Ken

Thanks, Alex - you found the old threads much faster than I did. I remember some funny ideas for cleaning those buttons. Ken

All I know is that this key combination does turn up on old German instruments, which were made for many years. Others know more about that than I. Ken

You just post here that it is sold, as you did. Ken

It's a bit ironic...Delrin was used (in one design I am aware of) to make sliding a finger off a button easier during fast playing (as a beginner I watched Grey Larsen do it while playing). I've used a concertina with brass buttons and they were sticky to the point of slowing my playing down (hard to do, it's pretty slow already!). Horses for courses, maybe Delrin is too slippery for some. Ken

I can tell you that 20 years ago, Noel was happy to teach beginners and typically put them in a separate group so they didn't feel overwhelmed. I wrote an essay about NHICS on the now-defunct static pages of the old concertina.net where I suggested you know where the note names are on the buttons of your concertina before you go (also get an idea of what notes are in major scales of C, G, D, from a guitar or piano teacher if necessary), or else Noel will take the first day to teach them to you. I expect that is moot in your case, but maybe not for others reading this. There are several scale patterns he uses when you start out and it helps if you already know where the notes are. If things are different now someone who knows will chime in. Ken

Others here will feel differently, but based on a difficult year I had long ago, there is no substitute for analysis by a professional (orthopedist, physical therapist, etc.). Some have gotten lucky when self-diagnosing and self-treating, but I was not. Lost a whole year of playing and eventually learned (was taught) how to avoid/manage my issue. It is likely your injury will need to heal before you can play full-time again. No fun, I know. Your problem OTOH may be minor but it can be reassuring to know for sure. Good luck, don't stop asking questions until you get answers that work. Ken

Admins (that's me and Paul) delete threads, or move them, or edit their titles. You may be tempted to send us a PM making this request, but my box here (it is not bigger than yours, I haven't found a way to make it bigger) is continually overflowing (I get tons of notes from folks here), causing PMs to bounce. Of course PMs or Reports are always welcome for issues that need attention. But to edit a topic, if you just flag it here (as you did), one of us usually sees it pretty soon and can take care of it. That said, maybe I should leave this one here as a form of advice.... Ken

Indeed folks, this is a concertina forum. While humor in some measure is welcome, there is a fine line between it and other, non-concertina topics, and everyone seems to see that line in a different place. Time to let this one go (or take it to endlessdebateaboutwebforums.net). Back to your concertinas (or dreams of concertinas for the newbies) please. Ken

How many years? Well Ross, you and I rode up to NHICS in 1997 from Hartford CT to western MA with John K., and you both talked like old hands, so that was at least your second year (it was my first). Ken