Chris Timson

Very good news. I know it was the desire to build a Hayden that started Rich on the whole making trip. If I'm wrong about there not being an afterlife then Rich will be very chuffed right now, I'm sure. Chris

Sorry I've not been paying attention to the game, too busy getting married. (No excuse, I know and my MCC accreditation is at risk as a result, but there it is). Baker Street, though a terminal decline movement of some delicacy, doesn't in itself preclude play (see page 153 para 2.2 of the Watson's EMM manual) so why has it all gone quiet? Cheers, Chris

Indeed so, and since we are having a quick historical break it is worth noting that Louis Lachenal played an almost identical sequence against CW, the result being that he left Wheatstone's employ and formed his own company. So for once this ill-omened sequence (the bête noire, as the players of Mornington Croissant would have it) had a good outcome in the end. Chris

Expected but still very, very sad. Harold made my first G/D anglo back in 1998:- I first encountered one of his concertinas a couple of years before that in Joel Cowan's living room and was very taken with it and subsequently when I decided I wanted a G/D it seemed logical to contact Harold. Although I am the other side of the Atlantic a long exchange emails and even several phone calls tied down all the details of the instrument and it arrived on my birthday (Anne having arranged this behind my back with Harold and paid for it to make a birthday present of it). Our correspondence continued over the years. Harold was always annoyed with me because I didn't return the concertina to him to upgrade the action (he wanted to do this for free, of course) but it always worked fine - it still does and is on loan to a friend who I am trying to infect with the concertina bug. I always enjoyed his emails and am glad that at least I was able to speak to him, he was a gentleman in the old sense - a gentle man. It is a matter of real regret to me that I never actually met him. Fare well, Harold. Chris

Alan, if ever Duet International really seriously looks like happening could you let me know. As you know, the recordings I did of Heather were done in something of a tearing hurry and it would be good to re-record them properly. I'm not sure, though, I could ask her to do it unless there was a nearish prospect of them actually being used for something. Chris (Wearing his other hat as proprietor of Mr Punch's Studio)

O, subtle, subtle ...

Indeed, it's a real shame Duet International never appeared. Chris

All I can really say as a non-duet player is that over the years I have put some of MacCann players' comment to Crane players and universally they didn't accept them, Tim Laycock being one of them. He didn't feel that the Crane system held him back from anything he wanted to do and didn't regret choosing that system. I honestly think that, as I've said many times in the eternal anglo v. English debate, it's down to which system suits you and only you can decide that. If you like the system you will find ways to do what you want. If you don't you'll never make yourself practice enough to get anywhere. Chrie

You might also like to consider the Crane duet. Chap who comes to our session has one - his anglo was stolen a couple of years ago and he bought a Crane from Chris Algar with the insurance money. He's making some very nice music with it now and I have to say the layout of the system looks a whole lot more sensible than the MacCann (there, that should spoil Dirge's day ). Chris Edited to add Brian Hayden's comment on the different types of duet: "In the same way as the Maccann is related to the English system, the Jeffries is related to the Anglo system. The Crane is a rethink, and mine is a discovery rather than an invention. That's the way I see it"

In an earlier round of this game, five years ago, I made what I thought was a well-placed move to Columbus Circle and was unceremoniously drummed out of the proceedings. Somewhat bizarrely, this would have been a very good move at this juncture of the game. Synchronicity or what? That move's sooooo last year Woody, I have always appreciated your insouciant and provocative play, and your mastery of the more obscure details of the game (as well as your predilection to display it) has not gone unnoticed. But along with it goes a tendency to disrespect which is not really true to the spirit of the game. It is with a heavy heart that I have to raise the green purply checkered card. This is your formal warning that one more infraction will lead to the raising of the blue purply checkered card. Chris

Thinking of blackmailing him, then? Chris

Just been away for a splendid weekend of music making, and thought I'd capped it all by finding a picture of Mr Bliss playing his concertina in Tolkien's eponymous book, but I have to say in my absence there has been some fine, near championship, level play. Good show, lads. Chris

Welcome. The key message I've always tried to relay is: choosing a concertina system based on theory alone is an inherently risky business. You might get it right, but the thing of it is that the choice of instrument is a personal thing that is not entirely susceptible to reason. I, for instance, would be driven up the wall if I had to try to play the English system but took to the anglo like a duck to water. Conversely my partner (soon to be wife :-) ) Anne is happy with the English, would be driven quite spare by the anglo, and for the last few years has been learning the fiddle because she is driven by a passion for it. None of it particularly rational. What you need to do is get somewhere where you can try out a number of different systems (somewhere like The Button Box down in MA) and try some boxes out. Best of luck. If you're not careful you're letting yourself in for a major obsession! Chris

Quite so. Can I just caution everyone that there are people on this forum who have never played this game and will be trying to work out what is going on. Anagrammatic tube maps and such are very amusing between experienced players like ourselves (Dragonfly & Falcon Hire, indeed! Love the diagonal implications of that) but mystifying to the outsider. Let's have some nice, clean play, lads. Chris

Oh well played, sir!

So just to clarify impact of the Caledonian bonus - you can only be in Knip if the Edinburgh spiral has been traversed, or (alternatively) it hasn't. Samantha is stroking her haggis right now - poor wee thing got caught by the Cherokees - but I am sure she would be happy to award Steve a two point super subsidiary bonus for that move. Chris

Hi all, Once again it is my duty and privilege to inaugurate this year's memorial game. Eight years, eh? That in itself is a tribute to the sportmanship and level of gamesplay to be found amongst my fellow forumeers. As in the last couple of years I shall refrain from play, taking the onerous yet pleasurable role of chairman. In that role it now gives great pleasure to call upon David Corner to set the parameters* for this year's game and make the first move. May the best concertinist win! Chris * Setting the parameters: new term introduced by the 2012 International MC Chairpeoples' Conference to describe the process wherebye the chairman or other nominated individual chooses the game variant and sets any initial conditions. The 2012 conference was unusual in that only 25,342 new terms were introduced, which made for a very short conference - only three months in Cannes (a dirty job but someone has to do it).

Good programme, I thought, but as ever with people with a classical backgound he has no idea of the scope and depth of the music people who are not part of the musical establishment of the time can produce. Chris

except that the links in your signature don't work... Ho hum ... thanks for spotting that. Chris PS ho hum mark II, they're suddenly working again.

Easy. Buy her a concertina. Then she's in the same boat as you and you can take turns practising, before progressing to practising together (remember, the family that plays together stays together). Chris

Seems to work OK, no comment on the style as I usually only react when it's gratuitously unusable for some reason. Cheers, Chris

Brass reeds are very sweet and hence very suitable for song accompaniment. Steel reeds are harsher in tone; however they are much more durable than brass reeds which makes them more suitable if the concertina has to work hard, e.g. when playing tunes in sessions or for dance. The result is that steel reeded concertinas cost quite a bit more than equivalent brass reeded instruments. In my experience Wheatstone brass reeds are better than Lachenal brass reeds. We have a brass-reeded baritone English that Anne has been using for song accompaniment for many years without trouble and it sounds beautiful. Chris

For more information in general on the types of concertina, their history and details about various makers and suppliers and stuff like that you could try the Concertina FAQ. Chris

If I understand what you're suggesting I have to say I think that would not be a good idea for a number of reasons. For a start you would have to retune the C row up by a full tone and while that is do-able I don't think it's all that good for the reeds (especially if it was, like many C/Gs, a Bb/F that has already been tuned up once). Then you also end up with a non-standard layout with the rows just a fourth apart making chords on the left hand a struggle and the sort of double-z cross fingering and octave playing I was describing probably impossible. Finally you would have reduced the resale value of your instrument quite drastically. My own philosophy is to regard the "core" 30 buttons as fairly sacrosanct. Muck about too much with them and you make it much more difficult for anyone else to pick up the concertina and play it - we are (as I have said before) only custodians of these things, not their owners and we owe a responsibility to future custodians and players. On the other hand, any buttons beyond the 30 I tend to regard as fair game since there is such huge variation in them already. Chris

The main restrictions of any 20-button are 1) you miss accidentals like G# and Bb that do pop up from time to time, certainly in English Tunes like Waterloo Dance and Jump at the Sun; 2) some chords are thinner or more difficult to achieve on the 20 button, which misses some very handy notes on the left hand; 3) you miss useful reverses that can come in handy. For instance in the tune LNB Polka in the fast triplets in the B music I find the D/E reverse on the left hand invaluable. These restrictions aren't too problematic when you're learning but as you get better you will eventually find yourself looking for a 30 button. However a 20 button G/D makes a very good starter instrument IMHO. Here is how I would play the keys of G and D on a G/D anglo (whatever the button count). You might wish to refer to this page in the Concertina FAQ, G/D keyboard layouts. The first diagram, for 30 button Wheatstone G/D is easiest to follow. For the key of G I start on the first/leftmost button of the right hand G row (middle row on a 30, outer row on a 20). Push G (index finger), then second button pull A, push B (middle finger), then third button pull C, push D (third finger). THEN move to the D row second button pull E, push F# (middle finger), stay on the D row, third button pull g (middle finger). For the key of D I start on the rightmost button of the left hand G row (yes, I know that sounds unintuitive, but it really works). Push D, pull E (left hand index finger). Now go to the right hand, staying on the G row. Pull F#, push G (index finger), then second button pull A, push B (middle finger). THEN move to the D row first button, pull C#, push D (index finger). Now continue up the D row in the normal way. You will see that in both cases the scale follows a Z shape across the G and D rows. This has the huge advantage of keeping the melody almost entirely on the right hand. Normally you only ever go over to the left for the low D or E. With your left hand free you can now play chords or play parallel octaves or any combination thereof that takes your fancy. Dan Worrall's name the double Z refers to the fact that you can play melody on the left hand using a similar approach (describing a Z pattern across the G and D rows) and this is the basis of playing in octaves, a fundamental English approach to playing the anglo which was once also popular in Ireland (it was, in fact Irish players who gave playing in octaves the name I most like of 'double noting'). Hope that's clear. Please ask questions if not. Chris