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Jake Middleton-Metcalfe

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Posts posted by Jake Middleton-Metcalfe

  1. I noticed this as well, all instruments, hybrid or traditional always have the hole above the base of the reed. I have heard it said that an accordion reeded concertina behaves very strangely when the hole is above the tip of the reed. It apparently makes a very very horrible sound. As to why - no idea. Henrik told me about this happening to him when he put a reed back in the wrong way.

  2. It might be good to design a lever for the anglo which works on a similar principal to an air lever on a hohner melodeon. Its a lever poking straight out of the instruments end, as opposed to parallel to it as the designs shown on here.

     

    There are a couple of problems -the sort of lever I describe is L shaped with the pad on the bottom end of the L - though it is a backwards L so that the mechanism works with thumb movement. This is problematic with a concertina as there is less space, so I would suggest a lever mechanism something like this:

     

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/55203562@N02/16396786670/#

     

    The L shaped lever acts upon a classic concertina lever allowing the mechamism to work at a right angle in plan

  3. Hello

     

    After an exchange of ideas between me and Łukasz Martynowicz of this forum we thought it might be good to make a facebook group for amateur concertina makers in the hope that like minded individuals can share ideas, provide helpful feedback, criticisms and advice as well as document and display various projects. We thought that perhaps there were not many amateur concertina makers so I decided to call it the " Amateur free reed instrument makers " group. To attract more people, also it might create interactions, synergy and ideas that might not have happened if it was dedicated only to one free reed instrument.

    Although the title is "amateur" professionals are of course more than welcome, anyone with interest is welcome to join really.

     

    Want to make your own instrument? Made one and want to talk with like minded people? Come join the group! Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/882333518455395/

    Jake

     

    Edit: this is now a facebook "group" rather than "page" I have deleted the page, I am new to making this sort of group on facebook and it should work better now.

  4. Jake's partner talking here:

     

    Speaking as a dressmaker lots of garments are sold as hand-made despite using industrial/domestic straight-stitch, overlocking, eyeleting, blind-hemming machines and electric irons, CAD aided (or commercially sold) patterns, etc etc.

     

    In other sphere's hand-made items don't necessarily connote an item made entirely by hand but will often involve the use of some machines. More often hand-made in the western world refers to individual, one off production. So don't be too off put by using hand-made in your description. You are not being devious, but would be in line with lots of other products which are sold as 'hand-made'.

     

    Tries to log off concertina.net quickly before Jake posts.... :P

  5. If you haven't already I would really recommend reading about the arts and crafts movement. This is pretty much the most influential reaction against industrialisation by designers which has left a great effect in our culture today. The basic idea of it was that William morris and his mates felt that the industrial mass production happening in the 19th century was miserable for the workers and produced an inferior product for the consumer. The movement favoured hand craftsmanship and preferred the idea of the medieval style of working with hand tools and not so much division of labor. There was great nostalgia for the perceived loss of innocence of life within this movement which heralded the medieval ages as the golden age of creativity.

     

    The concertina seems to me to be an industrial instrument, made in a division of labor system in a factory by man operated machine. I think William morris would have hated it.

     

    maybe we could view its industrial heritage as something to be proud of, to celebrate even! Embrace the machine! WAAA!

  6.  

     

     

    I find them easier to play standing up than concertinas.

    I would love to hear more about how this is so.

     

    I have never tried a melodeon because I did not think that my neck, shoulders and back could take it. But I do like the sound.

     

     

    With two shoulder straps the thing is basically attached to your chest and your arms are free to do the work while free from having to bear the majority of the instruments weight. Yesterday I played melodeon constantly for two hours outside while standing. I love playing concertina (anglo) but find that playing standing up is difficult whatever position I try and I cant keep it up for long. I put it down to how you have to support the instrument with your hands, I always find the instrument wants to rock forwards away from me and inwards. playing sitting is fine though. And as I say the musical range of an anglo is better than that of the average 2 or even 2.5 row melodeon so I always saw it as a trade off, each with its own advantages and disadvantages which might not matter to some but might to others.

     

    Some play melodeon with only one shoulder strap, I never really understood that.

     

    If it would be a larger box you might experience a sour left arm as I did, mainly when playing PA, but at times with the 3-row and "club" melodeons too. However, as I play the concertina mainly in a sitting position, I can't really check one situation against the other, albeit playing EC whilst standing up for some tunes never felt similar to that accordion/melodion experience...

     

     

    my melodeon is a small 8 bass one, with which I manage fine. I can see why the bigger the bass end the more work your left arm must have to do though. Hmm I will stick to the small one then! this bloke plays a melodeon with four extra bass buttons, and with one strap! Though from general session chat I have heard he does experiance back problems because of this. Which is rather in support of what you are saying.

     

    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BMdRoYoP3jU/U2QZG-tqSqI/AAAAAAAABhQ/CJ_vHPDDo0k/s1600/SaulRoseJamesDelarre.jpg

     

    In response to various posts about volume:

     

    I have heard some concertinas that are louder than my melodeon. When in sessions with Chris Timson of this forum his jeffries is easily the loudest thing in the room when he really gives it a work out. But then it is a jeffries.

     

    Melodeons tend to come with a tremolo tuning, which as I have heard was origionally done as an attempt to make louder instruments (i may be historically wrong here) but the fact of the matter is a melodeon tuned with more tremolo is generally louder. But then concertinas do get a lot of volume from being "higher pressure" instruments than melodeons, which I believe is due to their smaller bellows.

     

    In conclusion: In my experience most melodeons are louder than concertinas but not all.

  7.  

    I find them easier to play standing up than concertinas.

    I would love to hear more about how this is so.

     

    I have never tried a melodeon because I did not think that my neck, shoulders and back could take it. But I do like the sound.

     

     

    With two shoulder straps the thing is basically attached to your chest and your arms are free to do the work while free from having to bear the majority of the instruments weight. Yesterday I played melodeon constantly for two hours outside while standing. I love playing concertina (anglo) but find that playing standing up is difficult whatever position I try and I cant keep it up for long. I put it down to how you have to support the instrument with your hands, I always find the instrument wants to rock forwards away from me and inwards. playing sitting is fine though. And as I say the musical range of an anglo is better than that of the average 2 or even 2.5 row melodeon so I always saw it as a trade off, each with its own advantages and disadvantages which might not matter to some but might to others.

     

    Some play melodeon with only one shoulder strap, I never really understood that.

  8. I play melodeon. D/G 2 row. I play a few types of music - mostly English and Irish, a bit of French stuff. Some american tunes, what ever people play in sessions or at folk festivals really. Have played for my morris team on and off. I was more of a back up musician.

     

    I find the limitations of a 2 row melodeon quite frustrating at times. Even a 2.5 row is a bit limiting. No low F natural on mine. That is sometimes frustrating. Though I find the great thing about melodeons that you can really give them a good workout, really play them forcefully and loudly. Very good full sound for playing outside without amplification. The bass give a nice rich deepness to it. I find them easier to play standing up than concertinas. Though the musical range of concertinas is generally better. I have never found an "ultimate" compromise between a concertina and a melodeon. Both great instruments.

  9. This is very relevant and is close to what I have in mind form my DIY - in fact I have tested such wristrest back in at the very begining of my concertina playing (on anglo back then).

    They are very comfortable, but have several limitations and are tweaking ergonomics in a substantial way:

    - first of all, they prohibit wrist movement, which makes it unnatural to play in lower range on the EC and limits reach to high notes (especialy sharps) on the Hayden.

    - secondly, if done high enough for comfortable wrist position, you end up with completely different finger "attack angle" and different muscles are involved in fast retracting of fingers. It is less of a problem with EC, because it's "normal" ergonomics different finger positions and training of different muscles.

     

    Thanks for the input. I had no idea of the downsides of this system. Shame the guy sound a bit nasty, he clearly has an interest in concertina design. I am very interested in your project. I hope it goes well.

     

    I was thinking lately:

     

    I think what would be very interesting would be to ask some concertina makers, who have been working for a long time and have a much better understanding of concertina making than us what they would do if you told them you would pay them their average hourly rate to pursue an idea or design innovation that they felt was valid. I think there is a tendency with craftspeople to be busy with orders and although the maker might have an idea - for example some wild prototype idea they never quite have the time to dedicate to such experiments as there are customers waiting for their orders. A good example of this is a story a mate told me about a well known concertina maker who never had the time to make himself an instrument and whenever he did he ended up selling it as it was a lot of money sitting there.

     

    This is something I used to experience, I used to work for an architecture company making models. I wanted to pursue my own projects of woodwork using the company equipment (which did not bother anyone at all) but at the end of each day I was so tired from what I had to do to make money that I never did pursue my own experiments and its rather a shame.

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