Alan Miller

As many have pointed out, dpmccabe has premised his conclusions on assumptions that most reject, e.g., that people buy Dippers and leave them in the case. One assumption that I resented but also found amusing was the suggestion that the "typical adult beginner" will essentially never make it and thus shouldn't opt for the best concertina. He may be right, but I intend to find that out on my own. I started with a Stagi when I was 63, moved to a hybrid, then ordered an excellent concertina-reeded concertina when I knew that I couldn't put the instrument down, and that quality does make a difference in enjoyment and learning. I also feel that now at age 66, I should be entitled to buy a Dipper, Suttner, Wakker, Carroll, or Kensington if playing such an instrument gives me pleasure, and it does. I would also dispute dpmccabe's assumption that starting adults don't have the dedication. My friends would find that laughable knowing that, even though I work full time, in the past 3 years I have attended workshops with Noel Hill, Micheal O'Raghallaigh, Gearoid O'hAllmhrain, and Edel Fox, and have taken lessons from Tim Collins at his house, and now take lessons weekly at Comhaltas, and attend one or two slow sessions a week. Maybe I will never be a great musician but I am enjoying the people music immensely, and I feel that a good instrument gives me confidence and encourages me. In fact, one teacher indicated that a good instrument was important to making progres. So, I understand and even sympathize with dcmccabe's desire for a top instrument, but I resent the implication that older adults should in effect take themselves out of the mix. They may not become great muscians but they are entitled to pursue their passions every bit as much as a younger person. So, while I may not be the typical adult beginner, I know that last year I was the only concertina player at Comhaltas, and this year there are 12--all of them adults and all giving the appearance that they will have a hard time keeping the concertina in its case. That is enough for now--I have to go back to practice on my quality concertina. Alan

Tim Collins will in New York City from January to June in furtherance of his NYU Fulbright project titled: From Sliabh Aughty to Ellis island: The East Galway / East Clare Traditional Music Diaspora and it's influence in Irish-American Music Culture. This is a great honor for Tim, and also an opportunity for those of us who would like individual lessons from him. I have taken three individual lessons from Tim at his home in Crusheen in Co. Clare over the past year, and will continue to take lessons from him whenever I can. He is knowledgeable, patient, articulate, and extremely helpful in his critiques and suggestions. He believes that each person is on his/her own musical journey. He will help guide that journey. I have found that these lessons from Tim focus my practice, and improve my understanding and enjoyment of the music. For those interested in lessons, and for whom NY is an accessible location, I suggest that you consider this opportunity. He can be reached at timcollins@eircom.net. His website is http://www.timcollins-concertina.com. For those not familiar with Tim, you can hear him on his CD “Dancing on Silver.” Also: He and Gearóid Ó hAllmhuráin will be performing at NYU’s Ireland House in April. I don’t have the date yet.

Larry: First, does the Norman have press c# on the second button of the top row RH? That would be the normal situation on a Jeffries layout where the first button has a draw c#. If so, in my opinon you would have no problems. That would be a very standard method of playing, at least for Irish Trad. If, however, the Norman does not have a press c# at all, you will be somewhat limited. You might be interested in a topic a recently started on a related issue of adding a push c# on the first button. I don't know how to link topics, so all I can do is give the title: it is "C#/c# Button, What is the benefit to using the same button for both" and was started earlier this week.

Stephen & Dana: Thank you for your informative answers. Stephen, your answer is consistent with my assumption. Dana: Because I have heard you play, I know that you are an excellent player. I am impressed that you can play in the key of Bb on a C/G. I tried to play the B flat scale on my C/G, and felt it would take much practice to get comfortable. I thought that most people who played in that key used a concertina tuned differently such as a Bb/F. I do think that both Eb's on a Jeffries are in a very accessible location, and I will look for ways to use them. I experimented with using the press Eb as a tip (cut) for the press e in those situations where the press e RH is a better choice that the draw e on the LH. The use of the Eb in this situation worked well, at least to my ear, and for me was easier than cutting with the g above the e. As of now, I will stay with the Eb's and C#'s as on a standard Jeffries

Mary Ann: I have been to two of Noel's workshops (2004 & 2005 in the Catskills) and recommend that you attend at your first opportunity. I attended my first workshop when I had "played" for approximately one-half year. Noel breaks his classes down to separate beginners, intermediates, and advanced players. He will be demanding and give you personal attention but he will also be considerate. You will be frustrated (or, at least I was) but you will learn a lot, and have a huge amount to work on when you get home. Most importantly, he was quite insistent on using his fingering system. He used to consider the system proprietary, but I think it is a fairly common accross the rows system in use today, and I think that Noel has become a bit more flexible is using alternate fingering. Fortuantely a very considerate member of this group prepared me for what I would have to do, and that helped. I could not attend his workshop this year because of family conflicts. I do intend to attend Noel's workshop again next year, and will also attend the Irish Arst Week in the Catskills which has great teachers but might be a little less instructive than Noel for beginners. Good Luck, Alan

I have a chance to change the layout of a concertina from a standard Jeffries layout, and have a question about using the outside row first button as a c# on both the draw and push. For many people, the double c# seems to be the now preferred layout for Irish Traditional Music, but I don't understand why it is such a benefit. So I am soliciting thoughts on it. Under the standard Jeffries layout, I use the first button if I want a draw c#, and the second button if I want a push c#. I think this allows me to to everything that a first button push c# would do, and it has the added advantage of being able to use the push c# easily after a draw B. That seems to work well, and allows the fingers to be independent. I wonder whether the double c# might have become popular because there is no draw c# on the Wheatstone layout, and people like Noel Hill wanted a draw c# so they changed a virtually useless e flat note to make the draw c#. I can see that as a benefit for the Wheatstone layout. I don't understand it for Jeffries. I do see a benefit to switching one or both of those e flats to something else, but I don't know what note would be best to put there. I have consdered the possibility of a push F# or a push a, but don't know that I would really use them. If I changed both e flats on the ouside row, I would drop down the octave of the high e flat at the bottom of the inside row (RH) just in case the e flat became vital in a tune. So my question is, on a Jeffries layout, does a push c# on the first button of the outside row have any real use when there already is a push c# on the second button? A second question is whether anyone has substituted one or both of the e flats, and has found it helpful for ITM. Alan

Sidesqueeze: Peter and Ross have given you excellent suggestions. I have long fingers but not a thick hand. On a piano I can easily span a space of ten notes in a scale (e.g., middle C to high E) with with my left hand. I initially found the inside row to be tight and uncomfortable on many instruments. Perhaps it arose from my experience in palying the piano, but I found that my fingers were moving inward when striking the buttons. This made me miss the buttons on the inside row. As Peter recommended, loosening the straps a bit was a major help. It gave my hand the ability to place the fingers more directly over the inside row. I actually keep the left hand strap one hole looser than the right hand strap because the left hand is so active in Irish Trad. It took a lot of experimentation but it makes a difference. The height of the hand rails, and the space from the hand rails as mentioned by Ross are also critical. I find that my hand fits well on a standard Suttner 30b where the inside row is slightly farther away from the hand rail than on some instruments, and I find that the raised (and padded) hand rail on a Wakker is very comfortable. I find that the ability to arch my hand is extremely helpful, and this something that the Wakker encourages. (I know that some excellent players are strong advocates of keeping the fingers and wrist straight, and it may work for them, but I tried it and it doesn't work for me.) So, don't be afraid to experiment, and I think that you can eventually find comfort with most concertinas. One of the revered concertina players from County Clare is Chris Droney who is a bit over 80. He has huge farmer's hands and fingers, yet he plays his wheatstone primarily on the inside row. I also compared hands with Noel Hill, another revered player, and his hands are roughly equivalent to mine. He also plays Wheatstones. In the end, however, I think that Ross's idea of a custom made concertina is good if you tolerate the wait. In the meantime, there are discussions in this site about raising the hand rails with cushions. That is a good immedate idea to try along with the looser straps. I wrote the above before seeing Dana's post, and am editing to reflect his post. I know Dana from Noel Hill classes, and he definitely has large hands, and is a very thoughtful person. His ideas make sense to me, and are consistent with my experience. One more note on this, I adjust the hand straps so that that are not directly above the hand rails but a little behind them. This keeps the straps from riding on the knuckles. Alan

Henrik: Can I safely assume from your posting that you encountered no problem with the concertina (and case) as carry-on items at Shannon? I will be flying there in October and want to be prepared. You also mentioned size restrictions you encountered at other airports. My concertina is within those restrictions, but the gig bag I use for travel would be too large. Frankly, given the choice between checking the concertina itself as luggage or carrying it on with no case, I would carry it on with no case. I have never traveled with the concertina in a plastic bag, but I know that some people keep their concertina in a plastic bag before putting it in the case. They believe that this helps maintain a consistent level of humidity when traveling. But that is a whole separate topic on which I have no opinion. Thanks for your information, Alan

Just to wander back on topic for the moment--I have had no trouble with the concertina as a carry-on item on domestic U.S. flights. I flew from Boston the day of the London arrests, and at at time when security was heightened so that tooth paste etc. were being confiscated, and the wait was over an hour and a half. The concertina was not an issue. It did not raise a question or cause a comment. I flew from Minneapolis today with no problem. The security person said that I should just tell people that it is a musical instrument, and they will put it on the belt carefully so it doesn't bump into other objects. I probably carry it on board on 50 flights a year without problem, although most are domestic U.S. My overseas experience in Shannon and London has also been good but that was before the latest arrests. Last year, one security person at Shannon asked if I had ever been to Willie Week. I will be going to Shannon in October and will check with the airline first but I don't expect an issue. In general, people are very cooperative, and often smile about the instrument or say that one of their relatives played. If they want a closer look, I ask to remove it from the gig bag that I use for travel, and they cooperate. I have not yet been asked to play, and if that happens the smiles may turn a bit sour. But my point is that based on my experience, there should be no problem carrying a concertina on board on a domestic U.S. flight. My only real concern would be international flights, and in particular BA. I would absolutely avoid checking it through as luggage an any flight.

Hi Alan: This is the other Alan from Micheal's class. I wrote down his list of rolls and cranns, and also recorded his comments. In fact, I am just now starting to use a crann (Kid on the Mountain on the E). As you say, he was a great teacher and laid back. He permitted lots of flexibility as best evidenced by his encouragement of your Chris Droney style. In any event, as you note most of his cranns involved playing the note, followed by playing the top two buttons (descending in pitch) in the C row on the right hand, then the note--always in the same direction. There were a few options such as including the top G or A on rolls that start with the F#, G or A. Note that he gave us cranns in all of the notes in the G scale, and not for an F natural or a C#. I suspect that these just are notes that you would normally ornament in Irish Trad. For the top three cranns he did have notes above and below the note. These were: c (e) d b c on the draw (the e is optional) I believe that in abc format this would be c (e) d B c d e c# d on the press e d eflat e on the draw The last two of these require (on a Jeffries layout) the use of the first finger on the second button c# or eflat He described rolls as playing the note then cutting and repeating it. Frank Edgely also has a very useful list of rolls and cranns in his tutor. And from my Noel Hill workshop I know that he also has his own approach. That is one of the frustrations but also fun things about Irish Trad. There are many options. As Micheal said, when you play a "wrong" note just consider that everyone else played the wrong note and you played the right one. Hope this is consistent with your notes, and is helpful. Alan

For those in the Boston area, there is an opportunity to see Edel Fox and Ronan O'Flaherty in a house concert in Assonet on Wednesday July 19. She is a total treat on the concertina, and her new CD with Ronan is one of my favorites. While the concert info is not posted on the web site (www.musicbythebay.org), you can get Gary Martin's number from the site, and call for a reservation. There were a few seats left as of noon. I know that she is also doing house concerts in other parts of the country, including Chicago, but I don't have the details. Alan

Chris: That sounds exactly like what many of us are seeking. I think we are on the verge of a major concertina expansion here in Boston, and you are hitting it at the perfect time. Alan

Chris: I am currently at Irish Arts Week where three of us from the Boston area are anxious to find a concertina teacher. I have been talking with Tim O' Connell of Comhaltas on this issue, and I think he said we need eight. I think we are getting close. I believe that there are at least three others (besides the three of us at Irish Arts) who are interested based on comments from Nathan, Dave & Brenda on this site. I know that some would also be interested in private instruction. Can you tell us a bit about your style (i.e., ornamentation, etc.) and who you learned from? Thanks, Alan

Nathan: I live in Boston, have played the concertina for 2 1/2 years, and do not know of a teacher in the area. Instead, I have found good instruction at Irish Arts Week in East Durham (week of July 10) and also at the Noel Class in East Durham. It is in August this year. Both Irish Arts and Noel Hill have webistes. The location is convenient as the Catskills are only 4 hours driving from Boston. Edel Fox is back for Irish Arts and is excellent in teaching the basic couse. Of course, Irish Arts and Noel Hill require a week off from whatever else you do so they may not be an option for you. In Boston itself I find the slow session at the Green Briar in Brighton to be helpful on Monday night, especially at the start when the pace is slower (at 7pm). There are two of us concertina learners who are regularly there at the start. If you come you should seek us out. Other possibilities are the slow session that is held for two hours before the Comhaltas dances on the first and fourth Sunday of the month in Watertown, but they won't restart till September. Larry Reynolds even sits with us from time to time. He is a fidler, a local legend and was Comhaltas musician of the year a couple of years ago. He is a great guy who will play at your tempo. Also Comhaltas runs Saturday school at Harvard in the Fall and BC in the Spring. There was no concertina class last year, but lots of flutes, harps, fiddles, etc. I sat in with the button accordian class (approximately 6 people) and found it useful. Mike Reynolds kept us on our toes with lots of reels and an enthusiastic style. Tim O'Connor is one of the leaders of the school, and told me that he is lining up a concertina teacher (from Maine) for next year but needs several students to sign up to make it happen. You can reach Tim through the Boston Comhaltas web site under the heading for the music school. Good Luck, and let us know what you do. Alan

Baxter: One more thought. I started on a Stagi, and spent 8 months on it before moving to a better concertina--for me it was an Edgley. The difference was almost indescribable. I know that some people play well on a Stagi, but for me I was struggling with the bellows, and was trying to reach buttons that were awkward, e.g., play a G chord with the little finger spanning the G & C row to go with a push G on the top button of the G row. I couldn't do it on the Stagi but it was easy on the Edgley. If you have a chance to try a better concertina, you will be spoiled. I know that Colin Dipper said that the concertina is as addictative as cocaine, and just a bit less money. So I don't want to start you on that journey against your will but you should know that a good concertina makes a huge difference in playing triplets as well as invirtually all other aspects of playing.

I don't have a clear answer but I am very interested in the responses you get. I play Wind That Shakes the Barley from the Comhaltas book where there are no triplets written in although there is a F# E D sequence. But the sequences you describe are common in many tunes. One example if the repeated F# E D is Brosna Slide. Another is Road to Lisdoonvarna. There are many examples so I decided to try to establish a pattern. I tried first with the draw D, then experimented with the press D, then kept going back and forth, etc. Finally I decided to do it with a press D if played very fast. That works well for me, although I still often use the draw D if the sequence is not too fast, and the next note after the D is a draw note such as an A. As for B A G, I think that is an easy triplet on the C row as you described, that is with the draw B & A, and a press D. I am guessing that you will get lots of (valid) perspectives on this. I, for one, think the notion of avoiding bellows reversals is often overemphasized.

As the happy recipient of Wakker W-A1 #0641 today, I join in Henk's observations. Mine is also a raised end (radial reed pan). It has Jeffries fingering and 7 all leather bellows. From my first few minutes with the Wakker I feel that it has excellent dynamics and responsiveness. I know that its tone will change with playing, but as of now I find it well balanced and very pleasing. I think this comes through on Henk's music files. The bellows are tight and have lots of air as evidenced by the fact that I can sustain a note (A on C row LH)that is plainly audible for over a minute on one bellows draw. The handrest is a bit higher than on other concertinas, and it has a cushion on top. I find this handy in not having to bend my fingers back to reach the inside row. (I think the distance from the handrest to the inside row on the Wakker is a little less than on my Suttner, but the Suttner handrest is slightly farther from the inside row than any other concertina I have played. The Wakker is the same as most concertinas I have seen in the distance from the handrest to the inside row.) I was surprised by the light weight of the Wakker, and find myself unintentionally lifting it off me leg because it is so light. By my scale it is 2 lbs 8.5 ounces which converts to 1148 grams. This is almost 12 ounces lighter than my Suttner A2 (metal ends). [Just to avoid any misunderstanding, I also think the Suttner is an excellent instrument, and I don't mean any criticism of it.] To sum it up, my first impression is that this is an instrument that I will have lots of fun breaking in, and I expect to enjoy it for many years. Plus Wim is an excellent person to talk to about the whole subject (like so many people in our group). I have taken enough time away from it to write this note. Now I have to get the Wakker back in my hands.

Mark: Here is a thought re the exchange rate. I believe that Juergen's prices include VAT which can be in the 17 to 19% range. When sold to the U.S., that VAT is not collected. Instead there is a relatively modest duty. That may be your answer. As for deserving to own and play a Suttner. I think you will grow with it, and it will give you lots of encouragement when you see what you can do. Alan

Frank, Jim & Dave: Thanks to all of you for very informative and useful comments. I am very impressed with your participation as knowledgable experts on an issue that I suspect is of interest to many of us. Alan

Jim: Thanks for the picture of the reed pan. It is quite helpful. It looks look you had quite an extended gap there involving several chambers. It is interesting that the English in your picture was a Salvation Army concertina. It might have had quite a bit of exposure to cold weather. Alan

Jim: Those are also excellent observations and suggestions. I do intend to monitor the extent to which changing humidity is implicated before I do anything permanent, and I like the idea of a soft leather "temporary" shim. Thanks, Alan

Frank: That is a very helpful suggestion that makes good sense. Your answer demonstrates how useful this site can be. Thank you. Alan

I have a small but visible gap between the reedpan and bellows frame in the location of G/A reeds on the G row (LH). As a result, I need lots of air when I use that draw A in order to match the volume of the other notes. This note was always a little lighter but lately it has become more pronounced. I suspect that the low indoor winter humidity in New England is a factor. It averages around 10%. I am going to use a humidifier in the "concertina room" in the future, and expect that to help but not to totally solve the problem. For now I have placed a folded over piece of heavy paper in the gap. It definitely helps but I question whether this is a good long-term solution. I checked Dave Elliott's book, and he seems to recommend roughing the chamois, but that would not do enough. I would like to know if others have experienced this problem, and if so what their solutions have been. Thanks, Alan

At Irish Arts Week in East Durham, Edel Fox told us that a triple jig and slip jig were the same. She taught us two tunes that were slip jigs. Hardiman the Fiddler was one, and is available on thesession.org. I will massacre the name of the other because she gave it to us only in Irish. It is something like teách an ól. Both of these jigs are in 9/8 time. Alan

Comments from a newcomer’s perspective. This was my first Catskill’s Irish Arts Week, and hopefully there will be many more. The talent and options were overwhelming. One of many highlights for me was the nightly concerts. One night Gearoid O'hAllmhurain, Michael O'Raghalaigh, and Edel Fox were on stage (separately). Then there were the sessions after the concerts at approximately six different locations. There were sessions in the late afternoon that were supposedly geared to the skill level of the participants, and were mostly led by the teachers. These conflicted with lectures on topics such as Leitrim Music and Women in Irish Music. The only thing missing during the week was sleep. I was in the two “Basic Workshops” which were taught by Fr. Charlie Coen and Edel Fox respectively. Fr. Coen was easygoing and most gave us easier tunes, including several airs. He did not structure the classes into discrete teaching topics but was always open to questions and was quite helpful. Edel Fox is an amazing performer and excellent teacher. It is hard to believe that she is only 19. But that may be what gives her energy to teach after staying out till “half five” as she admitted she did. She is enthusiastic about virtually everything, and has a great sense of humor. She was on many of the performance programs. As a teacher she was incredibly patient with a bunch of struggling students. She liked to discuss all parts of playing, including the structure of tunes. She is in my home town (Boston) next week for a house concert and some appearances at the Burren. She is worth seeing. All of the people I met were truly friendly and fun to be with. A few of us from Boston are going to stay in touch for practice sessions. Because I really did try to practice, I didn’t meet many other c.netters other than Helen who was in our class with Edel Fox, and Bill McHale who was in our class with Fr. Coen. Helen certainly is multi-faceted, and a pleasure to be with. I am not sure whether her first passion is the concertina or the PA, but I think we have a good chance to keep her interest up in the concertina—she clearly enjoyed it. Bill McHale is a true student of ITM and everything related to it. I believe that this was his third Irish Arts Week. Like Helen, he is multi-faceted and was also attending a BA class (which I think was for advanced students). Bill clearly has talent, and I think we will be seeing him in the “advanced” concertina class before too long. Next year I hope to “graduate” to the intermediate classes and meet more c.netters. In the meantime, I plan to go back to the Catskills in two weeks for the Noel Hill School. That school is really what got me started on the concertina last summer, and I now respect Noel’s workshops even more. They serve a completely different purpose than Irish Arts Week but are just as valuable. I can’t think of a better summer than one week at Irish Arts and one week at NHICS. Alan Miller