Chris Timson

Likewise. Also good to meet and talk to Dirge and the Time Lady for the first (hopefully not the last) time. Many thanks to Cap'n Digby, me hearties, aaargh! Mind you, the whole weekend was good. The closing session was a gem! It's been a while since I last felt that good about being an Essex lad. Chris

Look forward to seeing him for the first time! Cheers, Chris

Sadly you're nowhere near me. Never mind, you'll have a good time. I remember seeing Foggy Bottom Morris dancing many years back at Avebury stone circle. It was the only time I ever met Big Nick and had the pleasure of hearing him play. Memorable. Chris

There's a lot of ways to do pitch-to-MIDI conversion. Personally I'd prefer to do it in software rather than hardware. For instance, if I didn't already have a MIDI anglo I would use Melodyne, an enormously capable pitch correction program I already have on my computer and which offers pitch-to-MIDI conversion in its toolbox. Pitch detection and manipulation is what Melodyne is really good at, so converting pitch to MIDI must have been an easy bolt-on for the developers. Chris

Pictures are here. Unfortunately the instrument is with that nice Mr Dipper, so I can't do sound right now. Chris Edited to add PS: since I wrote the page we've found the location of one other Accordeophone. It's in the custody of Brian Bibby. The whereabouts of the rest is still unknown.

Beautiful. I can imagine the sound of this from the sound of our triple-reeded English concertina (AKA the Accordeophone). I'm sure it would cut through sessions! Chris

Thanks. Here's a photo to go with the recording:-

Here's a piece I recorded earlier today in the Michael Tippett Centre, Bath Spa University. It's a composition by Anne called Midnight for English concertina with piano. Anne plays the concertina while the piano is played by her fellow student Alfie Pugh. Click here ... Chris

I'd say it's no different from a workshop for players of any type of musical instrument. The key thing is we're all musicians with a common love of music and a desire to play it better. Chris

Sir, I stand by my smiley.

Well, there's got to be a first time for everything, even that! Well we should be safe from each other's legumes. Not sure about any bystanders, though. BCNU, Chris

The ECMW, although quite a large event with hundreds of attendees, retains an informal character and organisational looseness that is a major part of its charm. Look forward to seeing you. Are you over here for a while or is it just a short visit? Chris

There's priorities for you - we got our B&B sorted months ago, but only posted off the money for the tickets to Celia yesterday. Anyway, we'll both be there, tinas in tow (though Anne has been showing a disturbing tendency of late to play her fiddle in preference. I hang my head in shame ). I look forward to the chance to meet LDT at last. Perhaps after the concertina event there'll be time for a quick round of Mornington Crescent, who knows ... Chris

I've got a page on the Concertina FAQ here with some photos of a Morse concertina opened up. I would encourage you to open yours up before you go away and familiarise yourself with the interior, just as you would with your Jeffries. It's a pretty straightforward design. The only problem I ever had live was once when the retaining clip on the left hand strap snapped as I was playing, and that was mostly my fault as I had put it under some pressure a few days earlier when changing the hand straps (no need to, just me not leaving well enough alone). A nearby Morris musician lent me his G/D to get me through the spot and then I temporarily fixed it with a paper clip. Chris

+1 on both points. I use my Morse G/D primarily for outdoor play for North West Morris and it suffices. Are you coming anywhere near Bath? Chris

The only airport I've ever been through where the staff were totally blasé about concertinas was Newcastle, and afterwards I realised that Alistair Anderson would use that airport a lot ...

My MIDI anglo was a conversion of an existing Lachenal anglo that was mostly in nice condition but had rubbish reeds. It was done by Roy Whiteley of Accordion Magic and the website is here. I can't speak for the Concertina Connection MIDI anglos though I've heard they are good. Chris

If you start such a session, keep me informed. I run two English music sessions in Bath and Bradford on Avon and although they are both welcoming of beginners I can see the Bath one in particular might seem a bit, well, advanced to some beginners. If a beginners (or slow or starter or whatever) session started in Bristol I'd be happy to direct people your way, both in person and through our website, www.EnglishMusicPlayedHere.org.uk. Cheers, Chris

Very good advice to contact the Lewes people. You've fallen on your feet there. Also a very good move joining this forum. You'll find people here both friendly and helpful, especially to beginners. Welcome to the forum. Chris

I've often heard this said, but having owned many concertinas over the years, both C/G and G/D, I no longer believe it. Chris

From the introduction to the Concertina FAQ: "Concertina ... the result of an accident between two moving vehicles" (English - Thai dictionary) Chris

Actually I've already talked to my student about sitting down and playing and Alistair's way of controlling it standing up by tossing it around. Thanks Anne

Thanks very much. I've had a look and it's given me some ideas about my lesson. Anne

Thanks very much. I've had a look at it and it's given me a few useful ideas. Anne