David Barnert

Did it find its way to YouTube?

Granted, the seller doesn’t know what kind of concertina it is and may not know much else about it, but have you tried contacting them to ask what notes it plays (and whether it plays different notes on push and pull)?

Undoubtedly it was the use of the word, “unfortunately,” which (you didn’t explain until later) was written by someone else.

I use glove liners that I have bought at EMS. Even with the fingers intact I have no trouble playing (metal ends and buttons) outdoors in sub-freezing weather (darn Morris dancers and their “Winter Traditions”). I suppose one could even put fingerless gloves over these, but I’ve never found it necessary. After all these years, I bet these gloves could play the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance without my help.

So, then, is it likely that Dickinson was using phosphor-bronze and not brass?

Good question. I have no idea. I never heard of “phosphor-bronze” until just now.

My Wheatstone Hayden was built in the 1980s. Why would Steve Dickinson have used brass springs at such a late date? Should I replace them all with stainless steel?

Look at the accent marks (like inverted v’s) in the left hand of the piano part. This signifies that regardless of the time signature and what it implies about where the accents should usually fall, this is where the composer wants accents.

Saying the same thing a different way: “I like to be in A-“ are all 8th notes, phrased as in 6/8 (123 123). “Me-Ri-Ca” are quarter notes, phrased as in 3/4 (12 12 12). As you can hear in the video, the speed at which the 8th notes go by (and therefore the duration of the measures) never changes.

In classical music (particularly in “early” music) it’s called a hemiola. Three measures of two taking the place of two measures of three. A friend of mine, the late Dr. David Goldstein, wrote this limerick to illustrate: If playing’s your joy and delight But triple time gets you uptight, I’d suggest on the whole, a Discreet hemiola Will make the rhythm come out right.

Time signature does not, by itself, determine speed. Music in any time signature might be played at any speed. However, if you play much for dancing (as many of us here do), then the speed of the beat is determined by the dance. So if a measure of music has two beats it will go by twice as quickly as the same notes in the same notation if that measure is considered to have four beats.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that the buttons were really laid out like that (F# at bottom left where you’d expect an Eb), if that’s what you’re asking.

Let’s see if this makes it clearer. X:1 T:Mary Had a Little Lamb M:2/2 K:G B2A2G2A2 | B2B2B4 | A2A2A4 | B2d2d4 | w:Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, lit-tle lamb, lit-tle lamb. B2A2G2A2 | B2B2B2B2 | A2A2B2A2 | G8 |] w: Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, its fleece was white as snow. X:2 T:Mary Had a Little Lamb M:4/4 K:G B2A2G2A2 | B2B2B4 | A2A2A4 | B2d2d4 | w:Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, lit-tle lamb, lit-tle lamb. B2A2G2A2 | B2B2B2B2 | A2A2B2A2 | G8 |] w: Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb, its fleece was white as snow. They look identical but for the time signature. But in 2/2 you’d stress Ma- had lit- lamb. If you were walking (or dancing) your foot would hit the floor on each of those syllables. In 4/4, each syllable gets the stress and footfall. Not very musical, if you ask me.

Actually, now that I think of it, there are quite a few Bb tunes that have a range like standard D tunes but down a major 3rd (Bb3 to G5). President Garfield’s Hornpipe, Lady Walpole’s Reel, Auretti’s Dutch Skipper, Good for the Tongue, Niagara Hornpipe, etc.

Of course. Thank you.