Hereward

Marien: your sense of humour is so wonderfully off-bat that I think you must have some English blood in you. Ian

A great resource - thanks. Ian

People learn best at the beginning and end of any practice. That means four 15 minute sessions are better than 1 hour straight because there are more beginnings and ends. Ian

The person sitting on it might be a tad put out. Ian

Lovely stuff Danny. I just need about ten years more practice... Ian

It has been well demonstrated here why I avoid going to sessions. Concensus seems impossible and a new bloke has no chance of getting his head round it so far as I can see. Ian

I heard that Youtube are pulling all video clips until certain royalty issues are ironed out. Ian

Thanks David for this explanation. Ian

Now that is strange to me. Ian

I've lost count of the times when people have called me saying "I've got this accordion/melodeon/concertina off ebay and it just needs a couple of notes fixing" I've had to get quite skilled at letting people down gently and explain that their £100 bargain actually needs several hundred more spent on it. If the 1884 concertina has brass reeds, 4 fold bellows and only needs new pads and valves then its just about worth buying. If its a New Model then it could be a very good buy, or it could be anything in between. Thanks Theo. I get the idea. Ian

No wonder you want one. It's a beauty. Ian

The bargain of the century? (Or have I missed something?) Ian

I think tradition may only make sense in the context of a traditional society, and we are a long way from being one of those in industrialised nations. However, this is a vexed question and I am not sure. Ian

One idea I'll throw out there is that, if Peter T's training Anglo-session comes off, perhaps a few other beginners like me, who play other examples of this fine instrument, could pop along and we could have an easy-peasy session, as in Mally's really useful booklet. En passant: if you live within a hundred (thousand?) miles of London, I recommend you jump at Peter's offer, for such things don't come along often. He has kindly given me useful help with my EC, even though he is primarily an Anglo player. Based on that impressive action of his, I would be sure you will come away from such a session firing on all the cylinders you have and with a few others stoked up too. Ian

To answer the main question posed in this thread: I have never been to an Irish session, only English ones, and I have experienced it. Ian

They looked as if they were suffering. A curious reaction to such superb playing. Ian

That thing is bonkers, but I like it. Ian

Great LDT. I think you are our very own successor to Andy Warhol; except nothing like as odd. Ian

A handshake is good but I'm not too sure about hugs - Victoria leaves a long shadow with us English. Ian

I have found the folk music world to be full of snobbery on occasion and this astonished me because I agree with your statement here. Ian

Thanks. There's nothing like a good laugh to blow away the cobwebs in the morning. Ian

I'm taking mine with me, providing it'll fit. That would really put the prices up if people started doing this. I have always been doubtful that one could trust those responsible to actually leave something in place and not nick it before nailing it shut. (Just another of my morbid thoughts.) Ian

I tend to find women not wearing towels are hotter. Ian

Given that more women than men now have tattoos, unlike only thirty years ago when few tattooists would have touched a woman in the UK, this probably wouldn't look as bad as it sounds LDT. Depends how odd you are happy with looking. Ian

The mind boggles!! .. yous must be very randy up North. What else is there to do in the cold winter up north? (Joke from a Saxon descendant to a Norseman's get). Ian