raymy

Really? Do you know the student's name at the RSAMD or if he would be willing to show me what he can do on the instrument?I'm in Glasgow a couple of times a week.

look forward to seeing all the info when it appears. when i took up the anglo it struck me as odd that there were so few players around Scotland,given the portability of the instrument(its most appealing feature for my purposes).Let us all know when your research is available.

Thumbing a Dictionary of Slang recently, i clocked the following entry... "To-and-From (noun):a concertina (circa 1910),so called because of the bellows movement." Never heard the term before,but it's not a very imaginative example of slang,is it? Must be more colourful/bawdier/cleverer expressions for the old to-and-from out there.Anyone know any?

Looking for something mid-priced...stagi,bastari etc. Email details please.

you must be psychic Morgana...i was going to post a similar message after seeing the anarchyinthecotswolds site. Unlike guitar or piano, you never know if a tune is going to tranlate well to concertina(30b G/D anglo in my case).But it's fun finding out. I use the tina for busking when i travel around Scotland and mainland Europe and can assure you that it is often "unexpected" tunes that generate most response from the public.What follows is a list of tunes i play to augment the folkier/trad stuff. Theme from the Magnificent 7 Theme from the Godfather Golden Brown (The Stranglers) If I Was A Rich Man(Fiddler on the Roof) In The Neighbourhood (Tom Waits) Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (Monty Python) Hi Ho It's off To work We go (Snow White) Money (Pink Floyd) Z-Cars Theme The Stripper Theme I Fought The Law(The Clash) Swing Easy (Soul Vendors) Great fun and something a wee bit different for the concertina. I'd be interested to see a few posts in the Tunes forum of other members' tried and tested versions of "unlikely" concertina tunes.

Stuart i just linked to your anarchy site...great stuff. I've been trying to increase my repertoire with tunes that are not usually associated with the concertina.For instance, a recognisable version of The Stranglers' Golden Brown is achievable on an anglo G/D. It always surprises people(sure, The Stranglers were a bit plastic compared to The Pistols) to hear it played on the tina.Maybe you should use the Tunes Forum to invite others to check out your site.

Stuart Eydmann tells me all his research into concertinas in Scottish music will be collated and published in the forseeable future(i.e maybe tomorrow, maybe next century).Should be a right good read, you'll agree. As i suspected, the pre-war dance band craze was responsible for the accordion's sudden popularity at the expense of the tina.Stuart says that from the 1930's on our beloved little box became marginalised in Scotland. Probably happened elsewhere too.

Was there not a fairly recent remake of Popeye with Robin Williams taking the lead? I even seem to remember some kind of Popeye pilgrimage site for kids being built in Cyprus or Malta or somewhere. Most of the old cartoons are rerun on cable(i'm still a big fan of Wacky Races i'm ashamed to say) but you're prob right: Popeye would be too obscure for most 8-10 year olds.

Stephen One of my jokey busking songs that never fails to raise a smile is Popeye The Sailor Man. Dont know if it's a bona fide shanty or what category it comes under,but it's dead easy and i play it on a 30b G/D anglo. There's a download version on the net to re-familiarise yourself with the tune - nice G,C,D A minor stuff with a decent hook( the guys that wrote these kids tunes were invariably clever and talented musicians). Here's a verse to get you going... I'm Popeye the sailor man (repeated) I'm strong to the finich, cos i eats me spinach I'm Popeye the sailor man. PS; smoke a pipe and wear a sailor cap for added authenticity!!

Stephen One of my jokey busking songs that never fails to raise a smile is Popeye The Sailor Man. Dont know if it's a bona fide shanty or what category it comes under,but it's dead easy and i play it on a 30b G/D anglo. There's a download version on the net to re-familiarise yourself with the tune - nice G,C,D A minor stuff with a decent hook( the guys that wrote these kids tunes were invariably clever and talented musicians). Here's a verse to get you going... I'm Popeye the sailor man (repeated) I'm strong to the finich, cos i eats me spinach I'm Popeye the sailor man. PS; smoke a pipe and wear a sailor cap for added authenticity!!

Bellowbelle: yes it's Burns night tonight...hope you'll be wiring into the haggis neeps & tatties washed down with copious amounts of Scottish "wine"(malt whisky that is)

thanks for your wisdom, folks. I've e-mailed Stuart to ask if his thesis is available anywhere.

Scottish and Irish traditional music is recognisably similar, but can anyone explain why the concertina is so lacking in Scottish music, but prevalent in Irish.Did Scots at some point adopt the accordion en masse -maybe cos of stronger historical links to continental Europe - but the Irish stuck with the concertina? It seems odd, given the traffic between the 2 countries over the centuries, that the concertina is not more visible in Scottish music.(Thoumire excepted).I know this, cos i've only ever seen a handful of concertina players in Scotland in my lifetime.

Many thanks for the advice...it seems everyone suggests an upgrade rather than an overhaul.Leave it with me.

hi everyone i've been using an old bastari 30b G/D anglo and always hoped to upgrade to a much better instrument when my playing merited it. I've tried out 2 expensive anglos recently but my fingers are so used to the size of buttons and the spacings on the beat-up Bastari, that i struggled to adapt to the newer instruments.I really dont want to go backwards to go forwards, if you know what i mean. The newer instruments looked and sounded 10 times better than the Bastari, but hindered my playing. The question for you experts is this: how easy or difficult would it be to make my cheapo Bastari sound better with a makeover? Is there much that can be done with such a cheaply-made (but familiar) instrument? The Bastari needs an overhaul anyway: bellows are tearing and one button plays 2 notes simultaneously.Anyone selling a 30b G/D Bastari anglo? And any players out there live in the west of Scotland?