Rick Ruggiero

And the "Jenny Lind Tower" is located just south of Highland Light on - you guessed it - "old" Cape Cod!

Hmmm. . . a political party? Should we perhaps put forth a candidate for 2008? Tax cuts for all who want to purchase another concertina? Paid squeeze-leave from work? An initiative to get concertinas in every school (actually, that one's not such a bad idea. . .)

I've been away from C.net since the summer - very busy fall - but I'm glad to hear the big band project is still alive. . . I was sure I had missed the boat. I have enjoyed learning the tunes - not that I'm ready for the microphone yet I think the whole project is worth a try, even if there are some ensemble troubles. Perhaps if tempo is a problem (I didn't notice any trouble, but I have mostly practiced on my own) a click track with a starting cue could be given - for the NEXT big band recording, of course. Hope everyone has a great 2005. Maybe THIS year I'll make the Squeeze-In.

My D40 also came from Musician's Friend. I had problems with buttons disappearing into the endblocks within weeks (of course, I played the thing as close to 24 hours a day as I could manage ). I emailed Hohner to get replacement grommets, which they sent for free. I have used most of them and now I'm waiting for my local hobby shop to get the right size of Aerotrend tubing so I can make all new ones. I also found that there were some unresponsive notes, and that different ranges required different amouts of wind, so that you really couldn't play the extremes of the instrument at the same time. Also, some notes were so badly out of tune as to be humorous. I finally gave in and tried tuning a few of the most offensive - the low C being the worst (it was more of a "B+") - and although I probably didn't do it correctly, at least it made the note useable. I understand the price difference between a Hohner from MF and a Hohner from Button Box. I appreciate that there is a real need for tuning and regulation in off-the-shelf Hohners. Cosmetically, my instrument had none of the problems you described, in fact it is quite pretty. In defense of MF, the price was what caught my eye (I had a gift certificate to spend) and had it been $300 instead, I wouldn't have picked one up, and thus I wouldn't be hooked on the concertina today . . .

I think you're right . . .

Singing while playing might help me, but I shudder to think of what it would do to any innocent bystanders! Incidentally, I just started learning EC as well (bought a Jackie) and have been playing it quite a bit more than the Anglo - and so far I seem to be able to breathe more comfortably. . .

That's often my opinion, though there seem to be "Irish" players who feel that the push-pull should dictate the phrasing, rather than the other way around. Does anybody else find that they breathe with the bellows? When I play a long phrase on the pull with my Anglo, I sometimes feel like I'm going to explode! Rick Ruggiero

Hi Anita, I too have a Hohner D40 and have opened it up several times. Getting to the inside is very simple. You need to remove the six screws on the offending end; you'll have to take them almost completely out. The entire end will then separate from the bellows. The reeds in a Hohner are not in the "reed pan" as in a usual concertina, but are mounted in a rectangular block like the inside of an accordian. Two small screws hold the block in place by means of tabs. It's really not complicated to get to. Unfortunately, the "pull" reeds are on the inside of this block and are very hard to access. You might be able to peer up inside the reed block and see the fluff or whatever and carefully remove it, but I don't know. It's probably worth a look! Did this note work when you first got the concertina? By the way, I too had problems, in that some of the rubber bushings holding the buttons in place split within the first week I had the instrument. I emailed Hohner and within days a whole package of replacement bushings arrived at no cost. Rick Ruggiero Queensbury, NY USA

What an analogy! I will never look at my crooked Hohner buttons the same way again!

I must admit I'm the type to look "under the hood" as you have done. I even decided to take a big risk and tune a few reeds in my Hohner. The low C was so flat it was comical, now it's quite useable as long as you don't push TOO hard! I am curious to see how I'll like the English system. It seems very logical in concept. And, I am really looking forward to more than two major keys!

THANKS!

Hi all, I have been playing concertina since February, when I picked up a Hohner D40 on a whim. Of course, I'm hooked. I am interested in learning to play an English but am on a tight budget. Does anyone have any input on the "Jackie" student English? Would it be better than/worse than/equal to my Hohner? I, like some others, deal regularly with sticking buttons. At least once, a button completely disappeared into the instrument! I am not afraid to poke around inside, so I have kept it going without too much trouble. Thanks for any information! Rick