Sailor

What a great start in the new year - a peppy bouncing tune. Thanks and a happy new year!

Even when listening to anglo players with good concertinas I heard the air velve "breathe". This leads me to several questions: Is that due to construction method unavoidable? Also I try to avoid the use of the air velve - with some tunes (eg tunes with predominantly F-chords) I can't compensate the pull by pushing parts. I then try to use the air button while playing a push chord and not in a quiet part. This requires a sensitive use in order to keep pressure and tone fairly constant. How do you handle it? Do all concertinas make a noice when using the air button?

Seems I missed the tune last week - only want to say: I'm hooked! A good tune creates a certain atmosphere - brings pictures to your mind - makes you hear or smell something. That's what happened. I prefer this one to the other. Thanks for sharing.

So what were you doing, back in 1979? My goodness my guinness - we had plenty of it in 1979 on our 6 week tour through scotland and ireland. And we had a funny night in our tent on Skye during the legendary storm which caused the fastnet yacht race tragedy. In Ireland I bought my first concertina (very cheap - made in GDR) toyed around and drove my friends half mad. At that time even in Germany we had plenty of good irish an scottish music in bars and clubs. Now I'm thirsty. Cheers

A wicket heat today. Wouldn't that be great: first a cool swim and then playing some tunes. Seems that's what he did . Do bears in general prefer anglo?

looks strange to me (time for outing?): the 20 key diagramm shows the chords of a C/G Anglo. In the 30 key diagramm - also C/G there seems to be something wrong? The C minor and the B7 chord would not work on my Wheatstone layout. I think you are right, this shows a slightly different layout (or a mistake?) plus a drone. On a first glance the other chords look fine to me. I'm sure the experts will know. There a always several ways to do a chord. I mostly differ the chords - play e.g. e minor as shown in the 20 key diagramm or with lower B on the G row or low E on acc. row depending how it suits the melody. When I started playing chords I wrote down the tones of every (common) chord and practiced on the push and pull singing eaysy melodies (poor familiy). But that gives you a good repartoir. I did not check the Eb-Ab-Bb chords (because I never ever feeled the wish to try).

not well done????? Thanks for sharing - great playing - I like the arrangement - the mixture of full accompaniment, passion and soft and clear parts.

hi Folks - that's lovely - I really enjoyed it thanks and all the best

I join this chorus: A great place - sincere thanks to all - special thanks to Leo for serving the latest videos! Happy new year - and happy squeezing in 2010!

Yippee - it works - thanks

If possible I try to play almost every day. This is not pure practice of new tunes but also playing "old" tunes for fun. Often enough its just to enjoy the old ones and I also love the challenge of a new tune - BUT - it's very hard work for me. It takes me a long time to play it properly. Just as Priscilla pointed out - yesterday I played the tune so fine and today - a mess. Happens it also to you that the fingers forgot parts or tunes which you did not play for a longer time? Was the A on the push or pull or the G in the middle row? Sometimes I wonder, whether this is an Anglo-problem (beside mine). On other instrument (whistle or mandolin) I lost speed or did not play "clean". But playing Anglo seems to me to be more difficult and progress slower. Would you share this valuation? Enough moaning - I love this instruemnt!

Sorry to hear this - I grew old with the music of the Clancy Brothers - an Liam was a great musician.

Thank you and yes it is a C/G. I'll practice this way. I only had concerns that changing direction might limit the speed. In the playing of Noell Hill (Irish Concertina II) I could not identify how he did it. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Could someone out there give me advice how to play the first bars of "Drawsy Maggie"? (30 key anglo) I love this reel but I'm not shure how to do it this sequence of E-B-E-D-E-B-E of the first and third bar to make it sound good. Would you recomend to play it on the push without changing bellows direction (left hand)? Does it sound better to change direction and play the E's on the push and the B's and D's on the pull? Similar bars can be found in quite a lot of reels, e.g. "The musical priest". In the second part of the reel - bar two - the melody is skipping C#-A-E-A-F#-A. There is the same question. C#-A-E-A on the push without changing bellows direction? I'm playin mostly english style and started now with irish style and some jigs. I find it difficult to make my reels sound 'irish' and would like do avoid basic mistakes. It would be great if you could help. Thanks

Thanks for posting - that was great!

great music and a pleasure to hear it!

Thanks a lot - this is great stuff - what a truesure and a pleasure to hear again Thank you!

When I started I practised only chords to accompany my singing, just as I did with guitar or mandolin. Then learned phrasing. But now, when I work out a new song I start with the melody but already considering the pushs and pulls and harmonies. Not always the full chords but parts of it or the bass note of a chord. From todays point of view the practising of the chords helped me a lot and I there are some songs where I play no melody at all but only a sort of chordal accompaniment.

... absolutely and what a really beautiful arragement - masterly!

What a nightmare - wishes for a quick recovery - there will be glowing and steaming reeds when it's over I suppose. And what an advantage of an anglo - you can play at least on one side All the best

I really enjoyed The Abigail Waltz - great tune - thank you

A C Norman, England Marcus Music, Wales Harry Geuns, Belgium I would add these to above three A. P. James, England Sherwood (Hobgoblin), England -- Taka I can highly recomend the geuns concertina. Great action, first class bellows, responsive reeds and a sweet tone for a hybrid. I'm happy that I upgraded 18 month before. This brought me very much foreward. Good luck

I can only emphasise what Alan Day wrote - thats the way I did it. After writing down the chord and buttons and push/pull I took a tunebook and selected song I knew with simple chords - tried to play and sing in the beginning without trying to play meldoy or harmonies - just practicing chords. I tell you - I was persistent (the family closed all doors available). Afterwards I added melody and replaced full chords by harmonies. And that is the real pleasure - to work out what fits the tune best. Have fun and good luck!