Daniel Bradbury

Sorry, brain seizure, of course it was John.

I have a very similar J. Pollitts Peerless Anglo, now determined to have been made by George Crabb

Hello Dave, click on his name just above silhouette icon. His home page will come up and you can click on the send a personal message. cheers, Dan

Well done Alan, beautifully played. Things are settling in here in Norwich. We should be moved into our flat within the next week or so. Then I should be able to think about how to see you in Suffolk. regards Daniel

Heavy corduroy trousers, one arm up each leg and the waist folded over around the instrument! Silly, but effective.

After a number of bureaucratic delays, I received my visa today! So we will be relocating to Norwich early April. I look forward meeting many of you over the next year or so.

Hello Jon, You seem to have a good idea of what you would like to play. Now is probably a good time to pick up a few of the instruments and give them a try. Depending on where you are in the UK, there are dealers who will be very helpful as you try out both English and Anglo concertina, to see which feels a more comfortable for you. I am sure many here can make recommendations. Another good bet would be to attend one or more concertina gatherings or festivals, talking with players and dealers that might be attending. Again, I am sure that a number of members here can give you recommendations. Also consider the duet system. You might find it has it's advantages also. Good Luck!

Hello Ro n, Don't think of it as a new method of reading, it is a method of digitally representing the music for efficient digital storage and file transfer. Any ABC file is easily converted to standard notation if you use one of the free ABC programs out there. Easy ABC works quite well, although each of us has our own pet programs. There used to be a wonderful converter here until it became a real problem with spammers and other hackers. Dan

Hello Ron, I agree with Bruce's assessment. The mid-grade instruments will have the basically the same set-up of the Stagi on the two rows with only minor variations. The difference generally lies on the third row. The most common set up choices are the Wheatstone layout and the Jefferies layout. As far as I am concerned the choice between the two layouts is insignificant as far as one being better than the other, more a matter of preference, or in the case of most of us dictated by the instrument we actually purchased. Keep doing your homework. Try to find players in your area and discuss their preferences. Best of all is to attend some workshop where players gather and see the various instruments for yourself. It is a considerable investment, take your time. Daniel

Hello Jim and Al, I should be in Norwich by then. It'd be a pleasure to join you there. Daniel

It looks like one side is hexagonal and the other octagonal.

Hello Rob, Andrew and Mike, I have contact with another member of Squeeze East and it looks exactly like the type of thing I am interested in. I look forward to meeting all of you! To all who have replied, I appreciate the leads. Daniel

Well, at long last I am finally retiring and we are in our final preparations to relocate to England, most likely the end of February. We have decided on Norwich as our retirement location. Some on the forum already know of our plans, but I would love to be in contact with concertina players in East Anglia. Having played Irish, French, and American old-time music on the concertina and banjo for the past 40 years, I am now especially looking forward to exploring the English music tradition while continuing to play the music I know. Any suggestions folks may have will be welcome.

Hello Al, PM me with your emailif you don't mind. Your PM is not accepting messages. Dan Bradbury

Welcome Angie, You won't go wrong with a concertina from Greg. I suggest you don't force yourself to a specific length of daily practice, but strive to play a bit each day as is comfortable. Play as long as is comfortable, but play some every day. You will soon be playing some fine music. Good luck! Daniel

Welcome, check out Florence Fahy for skype lessons, she is a first-rate player and teacher. You can't go wrong. Daniel

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Thank you Ross, I will indeed do that. I remember you telling me that Greg would want them. regards, Dan

I have a collection of old Concertina and Squeezebox Magazines I will be happy to pass on for the cost of postage. I got these a number of years ago in the same manner and now look to pass them on. I am in Florida. They include: Vol. 1 Nos. 1-4, Vol. 2 nos. 1-4. Plus the later editions # 16, and editions 18/19 through 32. Let me know asap and I will get them in the mail. You can PM me if you prefer. First come - First served. Daniel

Hello Ron, If you are looking to hear some jigs and reels, go to Florence Fahy's website concertinachick.com . Under the tunes section she puts in a tune each month. They are all wonderful tunes. She plays them through slowly and very cleanly, as well as up to speed. She is a fantastic teacher, who gives lessons and workshops. Her skype lessons are also very good. I can't recommend highly enough. Here is a direct link to the tunes page. http://www.concertinachick.com/tunes.html Dan

Here is a new youtube video uploaded by Padraig Rynne. Not ITM but show's how well Anglo concertina adapts to newer music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc4xm3meK58&feature=youtu.be

I am looking forward to this Tionol. The instruction is always first rate and the sessions are not to be missed. Please consider coming if you can!

Florence Fahy is an excellent teacher and does teach via skype. Irish in a very trad style. Her website follows: http://www.florencefahy.com/

Ves L. Ossman, a fingerpicking ragtime banjo legend who recorded cylinders in the EARLY 1900's who, when interviewed by a British journal in 1903, said he practiced 10 hours a day for the first 3 years, then just 4 hours a day thereafter.

One of the problems can be bellows control. You could be letting your bellows become too extended or contracted before you try to adjust air. You might need to take smaller breaths of air more often and/or find alternate fingerings of certain notes to reverse the airflow. Bellows control is an entire discipline in itself. But don't despair, we are all constantly working on it.