Ken_Coles
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Posts posted by Ken_Coles
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Well, I guess I have weaker wrists and forearms than most of you. I mostly play anglo, but dabble with EC. I have a clunky old Lachenal. Because it is not an heirloom, I saw little harm in modifying it to fit my needs. I had Bob Snope (Chief Tech at Button Box) put wrist straps on. He added the the two mounting screws and cut straps from leather (were talking an ordinary-sized treble here). The brass and dark leather fit right and and look tasteful. It has made all the difference for me, but I'm not typical (who is).
Talk to any experienced repair person about the options.
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Geo, I can't get past your email firewall, so add me to your list or whatever. Thanks.
Apologies to all for posting this here out of necessity.
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There has been a lot of interest here on C.net in the history of individual boxes, and some dismay at sometimes a lack of manufacturer’s records. I propose that as a tribute to Colin and Rosalie Dipper we construct a contemporary history here on C.net.
As I recall, Colin began making instruments around 1972. There once was a catalog, but Colin felt “it would cost too much.”, and, as best as I can tell every instrument they made was “special” anyhow. So, let us all report on the instruments we know of; with whatever details of the individual instruments possible, including serial numbers and date of manufacture.
I would welcome this info for any modern maker and we could certainly compile it into one article. I started a thread a while back asking which makers numbered and/or dated their boxes and got some interesting replies but no lists of numbers vs. dates. If anyone wishes to contribute without advertising that you own such an heirloom, you can email data privately to me or Paul and we can aggregate it.
Subject, of course, to our usual out-of-original-order way of dealing with C.net business!
Meanwhile, I will see if Ken is willing and able to post some articles from the old C&S magazine.Cheers,
Geo
You bet, just name them.
Ken
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Reading the Colin Dipper threads and recalling some past ones.I cannot understand why players want specials.I can understand someone having tiny little fingers or some sort of handicap to need some sort of modification but I cannot think of why there is a requirement to change a system or layout that has created some fantastic players over the years.
(...)
I just wonder if you agree.
Al
As far as you go, yes, Al. But my impression is that "specials" for some of these makers also includes something like a baritone C/G anglo with standard layout of the notes. Evidently there is not enough demand (or not enough makers) for baritones to be "standard" with all of them. Yet look at the bidding frenzy when a good baritone anglo of traditional construction comes up on Ebay. I envy players of EC who at least have a prospect of getting a Wheatstone or Lachenal baritone someday; I find those baritone Edeophones to be works of art and music. Vintage baritones seem to be rarer than hen's teeth for AC. I would love to commission a baritone, and it seems right now that Morse (who are only in prototype for baritone AC), Wakker, and Tedrow are the choices; IOW, accordion reeds. I can live with that, as you suggest. That's life. The point is just that "specials" may cover unusual ranges in standard layouts, and not just odd layouts.
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Here some additional news posted on the Web site by Paul Keating:
"I am also delighted to announce that Dr. Gearoid O’hAllmhurain who was invaluable in the early evolution of the Catskills Irish Arts Week will be returning as a teacher, lecturer and program adviser and will oversee a very special focus on the concertina this year. "
Looks like it might be the year to go!
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Looks like the Crane is back up at Elderly...whoever had it must not have kept it. I have no idea about condition; they are not concertina specialists. Check The free reed page at Elderly.
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I am closing this thread as unproductive. I have also indicated this by individual communication where necessary. Back to discussing concertinas, please, in other threads, ladies and gentlemen.
Ken Coles
(using a borrowed computer)
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In Public News and Announcements you'll find news of an exciting event planned by the folks in Amherst on April 16. Hope to see many of you there.
Ken Coles
Edited to add: Here is a direct link to the notice: Workshop notice.
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Here is a C.net scoop, thanks to Rich Morse, who let us in on this. See you there!
--Ken Coles
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Saturday April 16th we'll be holding the first annual Northeast Concertina Workshop here in Amherst. It'll be a single, intensive day-long affair capped with a concert that evening. While we've still got some of the nitty-grit to work out, things are taking shape quickly. There'll be 3 long workshops (one in the morning and two in the afternoon) and 5 teaching staff:
Jody Kruskal: Music theory for trad dance musicians
Harmony, counterpoint, support
Composition and new tunes
John Roberts: English-style anglo for beginners
Singing with the box
Integration with others (harmony, support)
Frank Edgley: Beginning Irish-style anglo
Irish ornaments and embellishments
Repertoire tunes in the Irish style
Bob Snope: Beginning English
Intermediate English
Rich Morse: Beginning/intermediate Hayden Duet
Things are to start at 9am and wind up at 5 for a dinner break with the concert starting (tentatively) at 7:30. The cost for the entire day is $85 if pre-registerging and $100 if you just show up. The concert is open to all at $10 (except workshop participants get in "free").
Meals and lodging is NOT included - but Amherst has many really great places to eat and I expect folks will flock here and there together as their musical and gastronomic tastes coincide. We can provide a list of motel/hotels in the area. There are a lot of us Button Box staff willing to take on friends as well as other musicians in the area.
I expect that folk may want to make more of an event of this and appear earlier, like on Friday evening perhaps congregating at the Button Box. Doug has suggested that we host some sort of munchies, jam, BBox tour.... Folk could hang out until whenever and/or go on to the Greenfield contradance.
Same thing for Saturday night as there's both a contra and an English dance or more jamming wherever. Maybe folks will decide to get together on Sunday morning for a brunch/jam before heading out. We can make the Button Box available for that. There are several separate spaces there (one with piano).
-- Rich -- (29 January 2005)
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Nice pics, except for the one of my expanding bald spot featured so prominently in the Morris workshop. Thanks for the link; gets me revved up for this year.
Don't worry, the bald spot is part of the concertina heritage if you're male. In such pictures I'm starting to look to me like one of these venerable players of UK origin (Ian Robb, say). I yam what I yam, and what I yam is nearly hairless.
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Hi folks. My personal computer is having worsening hardware problems. Once it goes in for warranty service, I will only be checking in now and then. Like many of you, I need to limit the use of my work computer for non work activities. If any big problems come up let Paul know.
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Paper and other shims, resetting reeds has worked for me many times for other instruments, but for the Lachenal EC in the anecdote above they were no help on several occasions (two by more expert repairpersons than me). For that box only when I finally humidified did I get a cure. So both approaches are worth a try.
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I found it here. I had forgotten; I chimed in on a thread about cracked action boards. I humidified the case to get the crack to close up, and found a side-benefit when the silent notes came back. Read all about it.
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My english concertina has decided to act up. The A and A flat below middle C only work in one direction. Interestingly, they both went south at the same time, one on the push, one on the pull. I took the cover off, figured out which reeds they were, and just made sure something wasn't caught in them. This simple attempt did not fix the problem.
I read an earlier thread about Henk's self-healing concertina, but after several days the situation has not changed. It is cold here in New England, but I have not taken the concertina outside, although I suspect the cold weather has dropped the household humidity somewhat.
Anyway, is there something further I should be doing to fix this?
Humidify your concertina. Your humidity has likely dropped _drastically_ . As you know, I was only 10 or 15 miles from you last winter, in that drafty basement apartment. When it got dry in winter (yes, it was January), two reeds, also below middle C, quit working on my Lachenal EC (you remember my box). Doug Creighton even fooled with them on my next trip to Amherst. One day I tried putting the sponges-in-a-cassette-box-in-closed-case trick to work, and within 48 hours all was cured. I am now a believer. About the same time Doug got a room humidifier in the BBox shop, and he noted fewer problems, as I did, with the old concertinas there. For Christmas Santa got me a room humidifier and tonight I am finally going to fire it up, having shoveled my way out and bought the requisite bleach and vinegar for the frequent cleanings. There is a long thread on this topic from about a year ago, long posts by Paul Groff, Rich Morse, etc. 5 gets you 10 it is a dryness problem.
Your house, especially if you have forced air heat, may be down to 10% RH, not good for a box built for damp old England. Eliminating the annual dry-wet cycle is also better for the longevity of the reed pan. Again, see the old thread (I'll see if I can find it)
Ken (in equally dry winter Pennsylvania)
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I reported this Aussie fraud to Ebay in two different venues - you might say regular and high octane (as a law enforcement official from a different jurisdiction) but have not heard back. Am sure others have done the same.
Cheers,
Rob Johnson
I posted an irate report to them with the news that I own the box and took the photo and pointing out inconsistencies in the listing. 36 hours later I finally got the form letter back saying they had dealt with it. So why it is still listed on there I don't know.
As always we owe credit to you obssessive (oops, I didn't mean that) ebay watchers.
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Repetetive Stress Injury ?????
Yes. One example (the best known, perhaps), is carpal tunnel syndrome. Having been there myself (though evidently not as severely as Bob) I know how frustrating it can be. Best health to him and all of you out there. He really does have one of the most balanced and sensible views of musical study that I have ever encountered.
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I have room this summer for one event, and it looks like it may be the Irish Arts Week in East Durham, N.Y. in early July. I haven't been before. Anyone else going? Share room, ride, etc? Let me know offline (or make fun of me here, or whatever).
Ken
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Now and then I look through old files and see names and wonder about those folks. Maybe you know what these people are up to, or have names you yourself are wondering about.
Bob DeVellis (NY state) - Bob gave me great advice on more than one occasion, but we never met unless he was at NESI when I was and I didn't realize it.
Unca Lloyd (Lloyd McDaniel, Florida) - Never terribly active on C.net, Unca was a fixture on the squeezebox newsgroup (for all I know he still is; I don't get over there) and at any ebay auction for a Stagi or Bastari. He must have bought dozens of them before finally scoring a 20-key Lachenal. Great sense of humor. Wasn't he a roofer? Hope he is OK and hasn't rolled off any roofs. "Hey kid, wanna buy a used Italian concertina?"
And how is DoN Nichols? (D.C. area) I know he uses the newsgroup and not any web sites, but I haven't seen him at the last two NESIs or the last Sea Music Festival in Mystic, events where he used to be a fixture. IIRC, he did send his bass EC to the 2004 NESI, and Rachel Hall played it sitting next to me in the concertina band.
Any news welcome.
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And here is quite definitely another scam, this time in Australia :
german made english concertina never used 3 rows white keys mint condition
Another "newbie" who will take only "Postal Order or Banker's Draft", and unfortunately for them they stole the photograph from Ken Coles' article Correction of wrist position on Anglo concertina using foam pads on this very website. The cheek of it !
#$%%^& indeed. I still own that Lachenal and do not intend to sell it (if ebay needs my testimony to that effect I will happily give it). And it is hardly in "Mint" condition: finish worn off, rounded buttons, multiply-patched bellows, reedpan carved to take one larger-than-original reed, smoke stains inside --- and the best reeds of any of the C/G Lachenals I have owned.
If anyone can locate dianne1052 for me, I will fix him/her up with a piece of that foam pipe insulation in a fashion they won't forget. Once again, beware any ebay seller w/o feedback.
Off to check on that Lachenal,
and maybe play it some. 
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Getting an "Irish feel" in my playing has taken years, though admittedly I am a slower student than some other folks here. I started on a very slow Stagi and Noel once took it and played it like lightning, and very much in style also. Articulation is one big part of this. Ornaments are quite a study as well. There are many elements and I can't articulate them all, but rhythm is another big part of it. For me, progress in music never happens overnight, or all at once.
If, OTOH, you are talking about tone, it can depend on the instrument you are playing. See the interesting thread on Reed types. Our friends here have lots of ideas on this to share with you. Also, if you live near any of us, seeing others play in person is valuable in understanding all this and deciding what you personally like.
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If this or any other kind of music is not mentioned here, it is because no one has sent in any info on it. So keep typing, Chris; you may know as much about this as any C.net member.
Ken
Asst. bottlewasher
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Thank you for the reply Dave. I thought the "sharp" tuning was an option and not the general practice before 1900. Now I'm confused (which ain't nothin' new).
I assumed that the majority of concertinas produced before 1900 would have been tuned to the prevailing concert pitch of the day. Concertinists are a contrary lot...are we not.
Apologies if you are already aware of this, but when I wonder about concertina pitch, I refer to Wes Williams's article, which is here.
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Still I have another question: Is there any list of all recorded (records / CD's whatever) concertina music? There is so for the wooden flute but what about concertina? I would very much love to see such a list (or three lists: AC, EC and duet). And if such a list doesn't exist, could we make one here??
Hermann
Hermann
On this site there is a music page. I do not know if this page is complete, but it describes a lot of CD's (including some sound samples).
Before everyone else points it out let me hasten to add: this list is not comprehensive or up to date. Nevertheless it may still be helpful. Your (that's everyone here) additions and contributions are welcome. Ideal format is a short paragraph or two and maybe a small scan of the cover emailed to me or Paul.
I suppose the Music page could be organized by AC, EC, etc. but doing that for the Learning/Tutor page (and a lot of other overdue work here) is probably higher priority.
Regards,
Ken
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I have been to many US seisuns that are not in old Irish areas, and in those places, the (mostly self-taught, mostly leearned-as-adult) musicians don't care what you play. The difficulty with AC vs. EC only comes up in a few places for example parts of Boston, New York, and Chicago in my experience. Those are seisuns I'm not good enough to play in most of the time anyway; just listen. It has been said many times, each instrument brings its own approach, ornaments, etc. and EC is part of that. Its part of the tradition, which varies at different speeds in different places. I can imagine an old timer in 1875 saying, "I don't know about these newfangled wood flutes, the fiddle or pipes are the thing."
Playing Both Wheatstone And Jeffries System?
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
I play both the Wheatstone and Jeffries layout anglos and don't find it a big deal. I'm not sure it's even a brain-improving exercise! If I'm playing very fast (e.g. an Irish session) then it takes a conscious minute or two to reset my brain.