steven r. arntson

This instrument has sold. best, s

Hi Bob, This one didn't come to me with a case, so I'm selling it without, too. I am very good with packing peanuts, though, and if it were to go overseas, I'd take great care. I haven't got much experience with international shipping, but your query did prompt me to look into eBay's "Global Shipping Program," which appears to contract with Pitney Bowes to work out fees and tariffs, as well as contracting with 3rd party shipping companies on both sides. If you were interested in working it out thusly, I'd sign up for that program. Best! steven

My wife bought me a Concertina Connection "Peacock" last February. I'm still fighting my way through the learning curve! I play pop-oriented music, and also like to play in lots of different keys, and the regularity of the Hayden layout combined with the ease of the instrument's unisonority have been huge boons for me so far. I've enjoyed it immensely. That said, it is a sad thing to let go of this Tedrow, because it's a higher-quality instrument than the Peacock. Ultimately, I may trade up to one of Wim's top-of-the-line Wakker duets. But that's an idea for another (more prosperous) year ...

Hi C-net, I'm crossposting this notice I just put up on eBay for my Tedrow 40-button G/D Anglo hybrid, with Wheatstone layout. Please let me know if anyone has any questions about it---I can respond here or over at eBay. Thank you! Steven http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tedrow-40-button-G-D-Hybrid-Anglo-Concertina-/231357838884? Here's a little video of me playing it. (Also posted on the eBay listing.)

If you can't find any local players, you could try contacting Wim. Valleyford isn't as near as North Bend, but it's not the other side of an ocean, either. I can't speak for Wim, and I don't know how many he makes in a year, but he just might let you stop by and try one as it comes off his workbench. True! In fact, my wife and I drove out and picked up my Peacock from him, which was wonderful, and he was very kind to spend a few minutes with us and make a quick adjustment to the handstraps as well. Unfortunately, he didn't have any Wakker duets in stock at the time. Nonetheless, I may get in contact next time I'm planning a trip to that end of the state if no Seattle examples turn up.

Hi c.net, Just checking for any players of the Wakker H-1, H-2, W-1, or W-2 in the Seattle area. I'm currently playing a Concertina Connection brand Peacock, and I really like it, but am also interested in trying out one of the "top shelf" models, to see if I should be saving up for it! Feel free to PM me if you'd be willing to let me play or chord or two. I'll buy you coffee/tea. -Steven

Just a quick plug for the Peacock, which I've been playing for about 6 months. It's a far superior instrument to the Elise in terms of playability and available notes (especially G#s!). I know the Peacock has taken some knocks around here for having only 42 buttons instead of 46, but I've found there to be workable solutions for every musical situation I've encountered so far.

Yes, I'm mainly interested in keeping up with new things when they're posted---I consume most of my media through RSS, so I don't come by the actual website very often.

Thank you! I shall be the inaugural subscriber.

Is there a way to produce an RSS feed for this section of C-net? That's how I mostly view the site, but I don't see a feed for this section when I click the little icon at the bottom of the page. It's okay if not, of course, but I thought I'd check. Thank you! steven

Steven, would you then say that you have to and do get accustomed to certain "odd" keys over time? I never got used to tougher keys on the Anglo, partly because there was such a disincentive to play in them due to harmonic limitations. The 40-button was better than the 30 in this regard, but it didn't solve the problem for me. The Peacock, by contrast, is much easier, and the regularity of the keyboard (and unisonority) is wonderful for experimenting with changes to chordal accompaniment. Even keys that require frequent "jumps" from the far end of one row to the near end of the next aren't too terrible, because the jumping is part of the regularity of the system. (That said, I'm still thinking of "trading up" to the next model in the Concertina Connection heirarchy for some extra notes!) With Anglo, when I finally figured something out it was "set" forever---even changing a single note could sometimes muck everything up. But with the Hayden/Wicki layout of the Peacock I find myself experimenting a lot more, and refining my arrangements.

I don't have any experience with EC, but I did recently switch to a Hayden/Wicki Duet from a 40-button Anglo. So far, I love it. It is much, much easier to play music in the styles I favor, specifically for situations of harmonic playing, and also pieces that fall into the southern hemisphere of the circle of 5ths (or pieces that change keys frequently). The convenience of having standard chord forms that are transportable from key to key is wonderful. I'm playing a fairly small 42-button "Peacock" from Concertina Connection, and I do frequently run into situations in which, as you mention, one has to "jump from one end to the other," but I find it a minor inconvenience compared to the strange fingerings and bellows-reversals that were necessary for me to play harmonically in, say, the key of C# on my Anglo.

When I was just getting startedplaying Anglo, I bought a copy of Anglo International and loved it. This past year I switched to duet, and only last week did some searching around to see if Duet International had ever come out. My interest is still high!

Hi Don, I'm playing a Peacock for the past five months. I'm switching to the duet style from the anglo, and am in the middle of that transition. For me, the Peacock has been a great instrument. I play mostly in a "classical" style, in lots of different keys, so the main advantage for me in the Peacock over the Elise is that it has some G#s! I was a little perplexed that there isn't a single one on the Elise. No E-major chords, no playing in A harmonic minor ... I have missed that lefthand A on occasion. It's a note that's also available on the righthand side of the instrument, though. Coming as I am from the Anglo, I'm fairly accustomed to situations where something (even a chord) crosses from one side of the instrument to the other (though I suppose not as accustomed as an English player would be). I notice that if we trade up the final level to a Wakker, we get that A back again... One other sidenote--in my Anglo days, I was a frequent user of the air button as a way to prepare for necessary bellows-direction changes. And there are times even on the duet I'd like to do this, but it's difficult because the air button on the Peacock is played by the RH pinkey. Again, it appears that the Wakker model returns this key to its more typical thumb-operated position. Best! Steven

I did indeed! My other band, The Toy Boats, has also performed with them once or twice.

My new album is available online today (and every day hereafter). Bildungsroman contains instrumentals based on Rimsky Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" (played on a 30b Tedrow Anglo) alternating with some heartfelt yodels. It's downloadable for $10, and you can listen first if you like. The download includes a fifty-page PDF book with the complete score; lyrics; and essays about concertinas, yodeling, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Click the treble clef at www.stevenarntson.info to preview or download! Best, -Steven Arntson in Seattle, WA, USA

I'm looking for a Tedrow Zephyr, 30b, Lachenal note arrangement, 7-fold bellows (though I'd consider 6-fold). If you have one in good condition that you're thinking of selling, I'd love to hear from you. I play a Zephyr currently, and would like another as a backup, as I perform frequently. Thank you! Steven Arntson Seattle, WA, USA

Yes, the continuity issues are all there on purpose--they were discussed while we were editing the film, and we generally liked the variety they lent to the production.

We discussed continuity a lot after the video was finished! There's a moment with a closeup of the glockenspiel playing its highest note, and then magically the instrument plays even higher notes immediately after . . .

's a video of The Toy Boats, a quartet I'm in, playing Ivanovici's "Donauwellen." Lineup: Anglo concertina, toy piano, ukulele, and glockenspiel. Best, Steven

Randy, I would second the request to hear some of your material--it sounds very interesting! I play in a style I'll call "contemporary classical" on a 30b Anglo, which often does involve triads set against a melody line. My material is available for free through my website. I don't know if you receive Pauline de Snoo's publication Concertina World but she also has a longstanding interest in different styles of playing, with an emphasis on the classical tradition of the English concertina. Best! Steven

Andrew, Even with a 30b, it can be a challenge! Mine, which has Wheatstone note arrangement, cannot, for instance, play F# and C# simultaneously--frustrating when an F# major chord is needed. But it can play F# and A#, and then I can do the C# by itself on the offbeats. So there are workarounds. That said, I consider myself fairly adventurous in spirit and I only rarely dip into the southern hemisphere of the circle of fifths in my own compositions (which are available here, if you've any interest!). Another great pop performer is South African concertinist Johnny Clegg. Here's a youtube video of him. Sixteen Horsepower also occasionally uses a Chemnitzer concertina. 's that on youtube, too. Best of luck! I'd enjoy hearing the resultant work if you persevere. Steven Seattle, Washington

I've been trying to use "free" sources online, but I agree sometimes they don't have very intuitive user interfaces! Thanks very much for listening! Steven

Hello All, I've released my new album for free online. The recordings are here, and the sheet music is here. It's a suite, the first movement of which is in sonata form. Maybe it's the first sonata to be written for Anglo concertina? I'm not sure, but I hope it's worth listening to a little bit of! Best, Steven Seattle, WA stevenarntson.info

Greetings, I'm wondering if anyone knows if there's ever been a sonata written expressly for the Anglo? Or, more generally, I'm interested in classical music arranged for the Anglo. I've searched around a little, but haven't been able to find much in this line. I wrote a short sonata this past year, and was just interested to see what kind of company I might be keeping! Best, Steven Seattle, WA