Peter Brook

After a couple of years away it's nice to be back and I see concertina.net is still as enlightening and philosophical as ever. I love being called a musician by others so I suppose it does fit easily with me. In one way or another I have been playing music since 1975. I was wondering the other day why and how it keeps me fascinated after all these years. I can't really explain it eloquently, but there is just so much innate joy in being able to produce a melody (and harmony with concertinas ;-)) and it is so different to the complexities and stresses of other bits of my life. keep squeezing and carry on, Peter

At the fifth attempt I hope to join you this time! I've invited a few others

In "Last Nights Fun" guise (are they still going?) he plays a lot of fast high quality Irish "jigs and reels." There are some very nice tracks by him on "Anglo International" He also plays some lovely slow airs and plays chordal accompaniment for Bella Hardy. I think he is one of the most sensitive and dynamic Anglo players I have ever heard. Very talented and very creative.

Glastonbury is a disappointment in my view. Town is quite grubby and full of new age shops selling books, crystals and dream catcher tat.Lots of boarded up shops (before the credit crunch), and the cream tea wasn't up to muster! Glastonbury Tor is impressive and worth the walk. Stay in Taunton and just visit Glastonbury for a couple of hours! I wouldn't go any where near the other thing - too many people.

I'm genuinely shocked and saddened at this news. Rich was a true gentleman, so patient with answers to questions which he must have answered over and over. A real loss to the concertina community, but he does leave a great legacy, both as a designer/manufacturer and as an honourable, patient person who helped so many others on their concertina journey.

I hope I can explain this the right way round, but I think you are spot on with the trumpet score. When I play C on a cornet (same as trumpet) the "real" sound is Bb a whole tone lower. So if I wish to play cornet with other instruments playing in G major I have to play in A major on the cornet. I've been playing brass for over thirty years and sometimes get this the wrong way round ...

Bizarrely I have been thinking about this quite deeply over the last few days, I even looked on the website at the front of this forum to see if a scale tablature was there. I and I believe that many others would find it useful if there were available a list of scales say C, G, D, A, E majors (sharps) F, B, Eb, Ab majors (flats) showing which buttons can be played on the pull and/or on the push. I think four sharps or flats should be plenty enough range to allow accompaniment with anyone! I am going to have a go at this but it would be useful if others could chip in with suggestions. If there is a book already out there that has done all this then I would also be grateful if someone could point me that way.

If you are buying a C/G and want to play tunes in D (without accompaniment) then my view is that it will be easier to play more smoothly and more quickly by having two C# in the Jeffries layout.

Not sure what you mean by this question. A number of Kent morris sides are "followed" by an associated horse and I have seen some horses bent over like the picture rather than the more common upright dancing position. Some sides also have a nominated horse "trainer" (hence the whip). So these traditions do continue although my understanding is they are all revivalist. There is an annual hop hodening service each year at Canterbury Cathedral. bizarrely I was reading the book that the photo was taken from on Tuesday morning in Cranbrook Library!

I believe the music is Steve Earle or Munday with Sharon Shannon and the song is "Galway Girl". I wouldn't know anything about the girl in the video.

Not hard with practice, and you need to ensure that the wrist/hand straps are adjusted correctly for you. I tend to play with the heel of my hand pushing on the body of the anglo and the back of my hand pusing on the wrist/hand strap. I find that staying in one position is not good for the muscles particularly if playing when standing and so I keep moving concertina around Position 1 - Woody described with left foot on case and left end resting against thigh (Bellows below waist) Position 2 - Put hands through straps lift hands so that bellows are just below neck height - this is comfortable for me and corners of anglo frame seem to "nestle" at the base of my palms helping with feeling of security. Weight passes straight down fore arms which are almost verticle. Position 3 - about halfway between 1 and 2 with bellows above waist line (as in my profie pic). I'm no three stone weakling so perhaps that also explains why I don't find it too difficult. It does depend what tune you are playing obviously. I have seen JK fling the concertina round his head, but he sits down to play the four part fugue for example.

Are you sure it was Irish Gaelic? Clannad would seem to be the obvious answer except for the pipes, another possibility would be Altan If it were Scots Gaelic it could possibly be Cappercaille

Hi Valmai, This is wonderful! Fareham is one of my favourite festivals and now it has got better! If you were able to send me music as pdf files that would be great. (I will email you seperately). all the best and see you there :-) Peter

Just to show that ITM is not all didly dee I would play these Take My Hand She begs for more (Sheebeg Sheemore) Off to California (or called the Galway Hornpipe if live in Galway) then sing the super slow version of "Whiskey in the Jar"

Isn't St. David's day the day that young boys were sent out wren hunting? I'll be celebrating by having bangers and mash (and leeks) with a mate from Derby tonight!

I am very grateful to Alan for all his hard work in this area. If others really want to there is nothing to stop them collating recordings and releasing something, it only takes enormous patience, perserverance, skill and weeks and months of time...phone calls.....e-mails....letters...piece of cake really.

As a native of Caithness, I have to point out that the first electric clock was invented by a Caithness inventor, Alexander Bain and patented in October 1840. Bain claimed that Wheatstone had taken some of his inventions and passed them off as his own. But since Bain made no attempt to work on concertinas, I'll continue to play a Wheatstone. Oh course Aly Bain was always more interested in fiddles than concertinas........ I'm sorry I haven't got a clue how the game works but I am enjoying the ride.....

Dick you are welcome to your *own* memories of Father Ken but I feel this particular rant is a bit unfair. He was very kind to me personally and I would not have taken up the concertina if it were not for him. Even if there were some who were unhappy with certain aspects of his character and choices, Father Ken demands respect in death as he did in life, for the many positive things he did for Morris Dance in England and Concertinas. I was and remain priveleged to have met him and heard him play. RIP.

I have seen similar period PA's in junk shops with legs added to make it into a coffee table (or perhaps occasional table if you can still play it!) Probably the kindest thing to be done

It reminds me of the Crabb which Scan Tester used to play Which I am sure you know is safely in the hands of Will Duke. Beautiful box!

I got this for Christmas with the CD - lucky me! I have been practicing for a gig this coming saturday but after that I look forward to working my way through "Hardcore English". I like the presentation in this book giving alternative tune names and where known the MS the tune came from and any changes/similarities.

As I am from Sheffield but currently live in Cranbrook in Kent I can tell you exactly where it is. Draw a line between Ashford and Tunbridge Wells on your map, then draw a line between Hastings and Maidstone - the intersection roughly 15 miles each of these places is Cranbrook. This is most certainly in the South East of England the bit that points toward France Thomas Clark a shoe maker and hat maker was a resident of Canterbury although one of his hat factories was in Cranbrook. He also played the church organ but I couldn't tell you which church. Cranbrook was a very important place in years gone by with Anglican, Catholic and three non-conformist churches all within about 500 metres of each other. One of which, the octagonal chapel was reputed to be the first prefabricated building in britain (link back to concertinas ). I have also sung "the carols" in the Blue Ball at least once every year since 1986 (before I could legally buy a drink). In all that time I never heard "While Shepherds Watched" sung to "Cranbrook" except for at the festival of village carols.

Cary, As we are way off topic I just want to make it clear - I mainly use facebook to play scrabble with my *real* friends and family who don't live close by. As I said your choice not to use such sites - but your inferences about people that use such sites are very worrying. Anyway, back to concertinas - Mark, perhaps you could put the tunes on youtube :-)

Doesn't one have to join Facebook to do this. I hope to go to my grave without ever having my profile on those particular social networks. Hi Marcus, I am a facebooker but can't see your videos. I'll keep trying. As for people with prejudice against these things, that's your choice, steam ships and aeroplanes were scorned at first. Peter

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