Bill N

Thanks Stephen, I Googled around a bit, and saw identical examples labelled "Made in Germany East", whereas mine is "Made in Germany", so perhaps they hung on for a bit. I had it apart last night, and was amazed by the cheap & cheerful construction! It reminded me very much of my son's 60s era Hohner Erica. edited to add: It just struck me that it isn't very different than the technology employed in my Henry Harley, either, although the harley was made with better materials and craftsmanship. But the levers and springs haven't changed at all. In fact, I may add some felt pads to the Scholer (a la Harley) to limit the button travel. My finger tips keep disappearing into the button holes!

Same deal for me. I worked at a War of 1812(US-Canada) historic site in the 70s-80s firing muskets and artillery- we didn't wear any hearing protection- and now have significant high frequency hearing loss. Makes it hard to hear the upper treble range on my Rochelle C/G if I'm playing lower chords at the same time, but if I put my hearing aid in, I get ringing and feedback. Not too big a problem when I'm playing solo, but I wonder how I'll fare if I ever progress to playing with others. Yesterday I picked up a cheap 20 key anglo in G/D, and found that the G row is an octave lower than on my Rochelle. I can hear the higher notes fine without the hearing aid, and it doesn't seem to set the hearing aid whistling either. Could also partly be a function of the mellow brass reeds.

I've done up a fingering chart for my 26 key Henry Harley (G/C) which is an early German-made rectangular anglo.(I'll try to include a link). The third row only has 2 keys on each side (labelled "11" & "12") The 3rd accidental is at the thumb end of the middle row (6 keys in that row) and is labelled "0". http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php...ic=7456&hl= The chart is an attachment in the last post on the above topic.

Before anyone jumps on me, I know this is a cheap concertina ! I've been enjoying my Rochelle, and a daily visit here, and seem to have been bitten by a weakened strain of the concertina bug discussed a few weeks back. I was in an antiques mall today, and picked up a 20 key Scholer for $45 Can. It's red perloid over plywood, with snazzy white bellows, lots of little pressed metal decorative doodads, and is in pristine condition. Looks like it was never played. All the reeds sound nicely, and it is in tune! I applied the hanging bellows test, and it was still opening at 30 seconds. No shortage of air, even playing big chords. It is double reeded, and has a pleasantly cheesy tremelo effect that reminds me of my old Hohner Echo Harp. I snapped it up thinking it would be a good canoe camping concertina (I know, some of you think the Rochelle would suffice perfectly well in that capacity! ) When I got it home, I discovered that it is tuned G/D! Is that a usual tuning? It's a bit of a bonus, as I'm attending a Newfoundland music camp in August (will try button accordion, tin whistle and bodhran), and they have D/A accordions and D whistles (not sure what key the bodhran's are in ), so I should be able to jam along, From the archives, I learned that Scholer is no longer in business. When did they cease production, and any ideas on how to date a Scholer? (there's a straight line for you) Just an historian's curiousity.

The Port Dover Harbour Museum is sponsoring a festival of all things lacustrian this weekend, including a fantastic line-up of folk musicians. Ian Bell, the museum's director, is a former director of the Mariposa Folk Festival, and has pulled in all his favours by the looks of the programme. At least 3 of the bands/performers feature concertina, as well as other free-reed instruments (Alistair Brown, Friends of Fiddlers Green, Finest Kind). There will be Naval War of 1812 re-enactors, lots of wooden boats, and Port Dover has great shopping and restuarants too, if you need something to distract your significant other/non-concertina-addicted travelling companions, etc. Port Dover is on the north shore of Lake Erie, about 40 minutes south of Hamilton. http://www.norfolkcounty.ca/index.php?opti...&Itemid=131

God talk about pushing buttons - OK OK OK Quality has nothing to do with it either!!! That should add another 22 posts to this thread - LOL! Sorry, this was meant as a reply to a PM from topic starter. Probably doesn't belong here. Please pardon my newbie enthusiasm (and technical ineptitude)

If i make it to your gig next week, I'll bring my Rochelle (and the Henry Harley just for fun), and you can give them a try.

Nice instrument...it appears to be a slight variation on a two row German concertina (the direct ancestor of the anglo)....rare to have one of that age in such a playable condition. I would guess it has the same key arrangement as a standard two row german or anglo-german concertina (ie, keys 1-10), and then sports a couple of extras (11 and 12). I could easily be worng; perhaps Stepen Chambers or someone else will be able to throw more light on that keyboard arrangement. Cheers, Dan Worrall" Hi Dan, The repair work is done, and I'm now playing it. It turns out that it is in a C/G tuning (it's possible it may have been "tuned up" in the '50s), with the C&G rows being nearly the same as on my Rochelle. It's very close in pitch, as well. The tone seems a bit richer, especially in the low notes. It's very light, and the bellows work very easily compared to the Rochelle. I will attempt to attach a fingering chart: "

[ I'm glad I did. I have received excellent advice from this group as a result, and am enjoying my new Rochelle immensely. With the help of video clips, sheet music, discussion, etc. found here I am progressing, slowly but perceptibly, towards doing more than just picking out a tune. I find a quiet corner at work and practice over my lunch hour each day- what a stress reliever! Since posting the pics, I have restored the damaged right-hand end, and have had a replacement reed made, new valve leathers installed, and the reeds tuned (not to concert pitch, but rather in relation to each other if that makes sense). I'm picking it up this week, and can hardly wait! With the help of my son, I will try to post a sound clip and post-restoration photos in the near future.

A friend who belongs to a long sword team found out that I am fooling around with an anglo concertina, and suggested that I could play with their group. I've listened to several versions, including the excellent video posted here earlier this month by Jody K., and get the gist of it, but sheet music or tableture would be very helpful. Anyone know of a source? Couoldn't find anything with a google search (although I did learn some fascinating things about recent developments on the isle of Papa Stour!)

Old Nic, That's interesting, can you remember if that one also had a skittle-shaped windkey (hinged off the rail/handle) and Harley's name stamped into the end, instead of a paper label ? Cheers, Hello Stephen, A reply to an old post, from the colonies! I have a family heirloom Henry Harley which I am in the process of rejuvenating. This instrument has been in my family since at least 1890, and in 1908 (not 1906 as previously posted on C-net) travelled in steerage with my great-grandfather from Yorkshire to a homestead outside Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was last played (with the exception of my recent fooling around with it) by my Aunt in the 1950s, at which time some rather amateurish repairs were made., I have just done repairs to the fretwork and the ( skittle shaped) wind-key. ( I am a museum curator, so have done only reversible repairs using hide glue) and the reeds are with a local respected accordion retorer. He has replaced the leather flaps with hand-cut Italian leather (they were a hodge-podge of home made repairs by my great-great, great, and grand-father) and is fabricating 1 new steel replacement reed. It is badly out of tu, to the point where it is difficult to know the origianl tuning. The restorer sounded the reeds, and has recorded the apparent note of each reed. 1-10 on the right-hand side corespond roughly to the G/C rows on my modern anglo, although it is obviosly not tuned to a standard, modern pitch. The left side is more badly out-of-tune, and the restorer has no idea what the accidentals (0, 11, 12) on each side should be. Could you shed any light on the key and tuning? BTW, my concertina is nearly identical to the 2 photos in this thread. The paper label reads "Improved Handmade Broad Steel Reed Concertina", and "Henry Harley Maker London" is stamped on the reed plates and boards. There are recent photos posted in the Concertina History forum of C-net.

Thanks for the good advice. I have just ordered a Rochelle. From what I've gathered, the fingering for the first 2 rows should be pretty transferable when I want to play the Henry Harley.

Thanks Dan, I'll be visiting the shop this week, so will try out Prof. Minasi's system, but it looks like it should work. There are actually 3 extra buttons on each end; the "upper" row is numbered 0,1,2,3,4,5; the inner row runs from 6-10, and 11 & 12 are out on the far corners. The upper and lower rows correspond to 2 brass harmonica-like blocks. The 11 & 12 levers work the "extra" reeds that are held in individual zinc (?) blocks. A local musician who dabbles in concertina played it, and thought it was a Bflat/F, but wasn't sure. Maybe it was the non-standard pitch putting him off? So maybe a 20 button anglo would be a good choice for a practice instrument? Perhaps a C/G so I can jam with my son (although from comments I've read here, perhaps consorting with accordion players is not cricket )

The photos make it look worse than it is. It's actually pretty solid, despite the the home-made repairs by my ancestors. It doesn't leak, and all the reeds sound except where a flap has fallen off. I suspect the wooden action would be considered pretty slow, and wouldn't stand up to the kind of vigorous playing that I've seen in the clips here. It also has a more mellow tone than I've heard in the clips. Kind of woodwindy actually! My thought was to try to find a more modern instrument with a similar set-up to practice and learn on, and just play Ol' Henry once in a while, and gently. What that modern equivalent might be, I'm not sure! It's with a local trusted accordian restorer for a very gentle and conservative going over at the moment. My son is trying to convince me to go to a traditional music camp in Newfoundland with him this summer, so that might be a good starting point!

According to a previous thread, this concertina was constructed in Germany for the London dealer Henry Harley between 1874 and 1888. My great-great-grandfather Ned Shaw of Booths Bank, Yorkshire (near Marsden & Huddersfield) aquired it some time before 1890. It was given to my great-grandfather Charles Shaw c. 1890. He came to Canada in 1906, and homesteaded near Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. I don't remember ever seeing it or hearing him play it when I was young but it is obvious from replacement leathers and at least 1 replaced reed, plus some wear and damage, that it was played. My grand-father probably aquired it from Charles' estate c. 1966, and passed it on to me in the early '90s. My youngest son recently aquired a button accordion, which prompted me to pull out the concertina, and having stumbled on this forum, have become keen to learn more about it and how to play it. I play harmonica well by ear, and have been able to pick out a melody, but would like to play it properly, and not have to unlearn bad habits. Unfortunately, it seems quite unlike the anglo instruments discussed on this board in terms of fingering. Any info on its history or use would be appreciated! I'll post a few more photos once I figure out how! OK, figured out how to reduce file size and post more.

(I like repairers stamps inside the instrument; they don't affect it's looks and are part of the history. I hate the concept of 'honest repairs'; it's PC applied to old buildings, Bill, and your painter is an oik, Bob. Dock his pay.) I'll agree with you about the painter- a discrete pencil signature would record his work for posterity without impeding the visual appeal of the church design. I don't hold with those that would advocate, for instance, using a different coloured brick from the original to do a repair, but I do think it's important to have a way of telling old work from new, at least for significant buildings and artifacts. From lurking around these forums for a few days, it appears that there is some serious scholarship being done on early concertina design and construction. This kind of research is made more difficult by undocumented, indistinguishable repairs and changes. As for the tree guy......

Interesting question! I am a museum curator and heritage building professional, and current ethical codes in our business stipulate that any changes to an artifact (including heritage buildings) should be documented and identifiable. Some conservators and restorers go to the length of making the difference between old work and new work distinguishable. Typically, the would also provide an as found condition report, including photos or sketches, before beginning work, and then similar documentation of the changes they've made. As has already been said, this all becomes part of the provenance of the artifact. I would vote for the restorer's stamp, providing it does no damage.

[ Whereabouts in Yorkshire, if you don't mind my asking? (And did your great-grandfather's surname begin with a "D"?). Additional info: Booths Bank is near Huddersfield and Marsden. Most of the family worked in a woolen mill. To veer back ever so slightly towards the topic of concertinas, the maternal side of the family were named Bolton, and were the Publicans of the Rose & Crown in Marsden, which I understand is still in operation. From the pictures I've seen, it looks like it might have hosted a few sessions over the years!

Whereabouts in Yorkshire, if you don't mind my asking? (And did your great-grandfather's surname begin with a "D"?). His name was Charles Shaw, and he came from the vicinity of Booths Bank. He received the concertina as a boy from his father, who traded it to him for a rifle (which he didn't want his son to have). That would have been about 1890, when he was around 10 years old.

Hi Folks, I have a square Henry Harley(London) concertina which has been handed down in my family since c.1880. It's in the shop now being tuned, having a couple of missing buttons and reed leathers replaced, and some minor belows repair done. Except for some cosmetic damage to one of the ends, it's in remarkable shape, and has a beautiful mellow sound. From the archives here, I gather it is a German instrument that was modified for the English market between 1874-1888. It made its way with my Great-Grandfather from Yorkshire to Moosejaw, Saskatchewan early in the 20th century. I can pick out a tune on it (I play harmonica by ear, and have found some similarities), but would like to become a "two-handed" player, and have been looking for instructions and music. I haven't found anything for the particular arrangement of buttons. It's a diatonic instrument, with 13 buttons on each end. The vertical row closest to the wrist comprises 5 buttons, there are 6 in the second vertical row, then 2 "outriggers" in the top and bottom far corner. I'll confirm this when I pick it up, but have been told it is a B flat instrument. Can anyone point me in the direction of more information on how to play this cool old concertina?